If you read this blog often, you know that we’re huge fans of Battletech (in all of its many wonderful forms), and 2018 is looking like a banner year for the franchise. With new starter sets for the board game in the works, two new computer games slated for release, and a host of other developments on the horizon, it’s a great time to be a fan of giant stompy robots fighting over a Game of Thrones esque feudal system. Let’s talk a little bit about some of the developments and see what the future holds.
Showing posts with label Board Games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Board Games. Show all posts
Thursday, December 7, 2017
Friday, October 30, 2015
Classic Battletech, Part 3 (How do i get into this game, there's a lot of stuff)
It's time for another post on Battletech, a game have a great deal of affection for. Battletech as a universe has a lot of potential ways to get involved, and it can be mind boggling to find a starting point. If you've checked out my piece on the Introductory Box further down the page you've read my thoughts on that product and the upsides to getting it as a starting place.
However, that game has gotten a little stale and you've heard about some other things, like building your own units, or using tanks, and infantry in the game. All of this sounds awesome, but what books are those in? How do i build my own units? Why are there so many books? What should i buy next?
Well, there are lots of directions you can go with this, but i'm going to recommend a few suggestions for the next couple of steps you should take when getting into the battletech universe, as well as some supplemental material that might be of interest.
The first product you're going to want to consider investing is Total Warfare
Total Warfare (you can read a more in depth review a little lower, look for the heading Battletech Part 2) contains the basic rules needed to play the game with all of the units you'll commonly encounter in the game. It's a thick book, but you'll find it essential in building from the introductory rules you found in the intro box.
The next product on the things you should consider getting list is TechManual
Like Total Warfare, I've covered this book in greater detail in a different post, but this book contains all of the construction rules for the units that you will regularly encounter in battletech. One of the things that i found very interesting about battletech when i picked it up in the winter of 1988 was that they included the construction rules for battlemechs in the core rules for the game. Being able to build and customize units has been a core of this game from its inception, and i think this book capably covers most situations you will encounter in the construction process.
Between these two books you're looking at the foundation rules for playing the game with your friends. TW has all of the combat rules, and the TechManual has all the construction rules you'd need for the forseeable future.
These two books retail for $39.99 apiece, and are also available in pdf format from Battlecorps.com
The next two products don't provide more rules for the game, but provide something even more important, more combat units! The technical readout series of books span more than a hundred years of in game development, and in some books include units from previous historical eras.
The first book i'll talk about is Technical Readout 3039.
Technical Readout 3039 (TRO3039) contains the most commonly found combat units in battlemechs, combat vehicles, and aerospace fighters that are available in the in-game universe year 3039. From a player's perspective, this book contains the introductory tech level versions of those commonly available units. This will greatly expand the available units you have to play the game using your components from the introductory box set without including more advanced weapons and equipment featured in TW or the TechManual.
The second book in this group is the Technical Readout 3050 Upgrade.
The Technical Readout 3050 Upgrade (TRO 3050u) contains new combat units from a new faction, (the clans) and updates almost all of the original units found in in TRO 3039 with advanced technology. The technology changes can vastly affect how different units interact on the tabletop, and this book holds a wealth of designs to give you even more options to play
Like their core rule cousins, they can be found at battlecorps.com . TRO 3039 retails for $29.99, while its slightly thicker companion TRO 3050u retails at $34.99.
These four books will greatly expand your available options for your battletech games. Your game's complexity level will climb by increasing the depth of the rules set you're playing with, and in terms of the units available. Between these four books, you're going to vastly increase the replay ability of your battletech games.
Accesories and other things that might help
There are three things that i'll add as things that will either improve your game experience, or increase your experience with the setting.
Record Sheets: 3039 Unabridged
While this product isn't absolutely necessary to play, it contains pre-filled record sheets for all of the units presented in TRO 3039. This can speed up your game experience and give you the option to grab a sheet and go, rather than having to spend the time to fill out the sheet manually.
It's available from battlecorps.com and is priced at $9.99
Record Sheets: 3050 Upgrade
Like the other Record Sheets product i mentioned above, this product isn't absolutely necessary to play, it can help you speed up your set up time for the game. It's a handy product to have if you frequently play with units in this era.
It's available from battlecorps.com and is priced at $9.99
The last product i'm going to talk about is a little different from the others. It's not necessary to play the game at all, but you may find that it adds a great deal of information and provides several aids that will help you play games set in a specific time frame.
Era Report: 3052
However, that game has gotten a little stale and you've heard about some other things, like building your own units, or using tanks, and infantry in the game. All of this sounds awesome, but what books are those in? How do i build my own units? Why are there so many books? What should i buy next?
Well, there are lots of directions you can go with this, but i'm going to recommend a few suggestions for the next couple of steps you should take when getting into the battletech universe, as well as some supplemental material that might be of interest.
The first product you're going to want to consider investing is Total Warfare
Total Warfare (you can read a more in depth review a little lower, look for the heading Battletech Part 2) contains the basic rules needed to play the game with all of the units you'll commonly encounter in the game. It's a thick book, but you'll find it essential in building from the introductory rules you found in the intro box.
The next product on the things you should consider getting list is TechManual
Like Total Warfare, I've covered this book in greater detail in a different post, but this book contains all of the construction rules for the units that you will regularly encounter in battletech. One of the things that i found very interesting about battletech when i picked it up in the winter of 1988 was that they included the construction rules for battlemechs in the core rules for the game. Being able to build and customize units has been a core of this game from its inception, and i think this book capably covers most situations you will encounter in the construction process.
Between these two books you're looking at the foundation rules for playing the game with your friends. TW has all of the combat rules, and the TechManual has all the construction rules you'd need for the forseeable future.
These two books retail for $39.99 apiece, and are also available in pdf format from Battlecorps.com
The next two products don't provide more rules for the game, but provide something even more important, more combat units! The technical readout series of books span more than a hundred years of in game development, and in some books include units from previous historical eras.
The first book i'll talk about is Technical Readout 3039.
Technical Readout 3039 (TRO3039) contains the most commonly found combat units in battlemechs, combat vehicles, and aerospace fighters that are available in the in-game universe year 3039. From a player's perspective, this book contains the introductory tech level versions of those commonly available units. This will greatly expand the available units you have to play the game using your components from the introductory box set without including more advanced weapons and equipment featured in TW or the TechManual.
The second book in this group is the Technical Readout 3050 Upgrade.
The Technical Readout 3050 Upgrade (TRO 3050u) contains new combat units from a new faction, (the clans) and updates almost all of the original units found in in TRO 3039 with advanced technology. The technology changes can vastly affect how different units interact on the tabletop, and this book holds a wealth of designs to give you even more options to play
Like their core rule cousins, they can be found at battlecorps.com . TRO 3039 retails for $29.99, while its slightly thicker companion TRO 3050u retails at $34.99.
These four books will greatly expand your available options for your battletech games. Your game's complexity level will climb by increasing the depth of the rules set you're playing with, and in terms of the units available. Between these four books, you're going to vastly increase the replay ability of your battletech games.
Accesories and other things that might help
There are three things that i'll add as things that will either improve your game experience, or increase your experience with the setting.
Record Sheets: 3039 Unabridged
While this product isn't absolutely necessary to play, it contains pre-filled record sheets for all of the units presented in TRO 3039. This can speed up your game experience and give you the option to grab a sheet and go, rather than having to spend the time to fill out the sheet manually.
It's available from battlecorps.com and is priced at $9.99
Record Sheets: 3050 Upgrade
Like the other Record Sheets product i mentioned above, this product isn't absolutely necessary to play, it can help you speed up your set up time for the game. It's a handy product to have if you frequently play with units in this era.
It's available from battlecorps.com and is priced at $9.99
The last product i'm going to talk about is a little different from the others. It's not necessary to play the game at all, but you may find that it adds a great deal of information and provides several aids that will help you play games set in a specific time frame.
Era Report: 3052
This book contains a snapshot of the battletech universe leading up to the year 3052 and covers a lot of in-universe details on the major players, major battles and historical information relevant to Battletech at the time. It contains famous units and personalities from the factions involved and contains resources for the setting from a reader's perspective and a wealth of charts and tables to benefit the player of the tabletop game. It also serves as a bridge in the technology found in the technical readouts i've mentioned above.
It's available from battlecorps.com and is priced at $24.99
So those are the products that i think make a very good starting point in expanding your battletech experience from the introductory box set. I hope you take a look at them and if you like them, pick em up.
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Battletech, part 2 (There are how many books for this game?)
Welcome back to another exciting edition of Battletech. So far i've reviewed the introductory box, and that's a wonderful place to start learning the rules and setting for battletech, but where does one go from here?
There are 8 current core books for the setting with at least one more coming in the near future. Let's talk about them, after all, that's why we're here.
Total Warfare:
This is the primary rulebook that most players will need to continue learning battletech. It contains movement and combat rules for all of the traditional units you'll find in the game, (Warships are not counted as traditional in this environment due to their limited interactivity with the ground game and their in universe scarcity). It contains advanced weapon systems and options for playing randomly generated scenarios.
TechManual:
One of the key elements that has always drawn me back to battletech is the ability to construct your own units. Each chapter of this book contains the construction rules for a different combat unit and at least three different step by step examples of those rules in action. Battletech shares its technology tree fairly well, as the same weapons and equipment are designed for use on a wide array of vehicles, so you can see the same "medium laser" applied across combat vehicles, aerospace fighters, and battlemechs. The in universe model of medium laser may vary, but the game statistics are the same.
Tactical Operations:
I like to think of this book as the advanced rules for battletech, and that's a fairly apt descriptor. This book adds in rules for advanced movement options, buildings, terrain, and weather features to your game. Did you ever wonder how you fight out a battle on an airless moon while a volcano is erupting? This is your book. It also contains a large assortment of advanced equipment that you can use to further customize and create your own units.
Strategic Operations:
Strategic Operations is the first book that really takes a look at campaign style play. You can play a series of linked games that use the same units and can replay historic scenarios and devise new ones. This provides the rules for repair and customization, as well as integrating warships into the game's system. Did you want to calculate the time it would take for your forces to arrive on world after jumping in at a pirate point? This book handles that level of detail. It also contains the Battleforce rule set which allows for playing games with larger groupings of units at a manageable speed.
Interstellar Operations (Not out yet, but there was a beta that was available)
This is the last scale of play for battletech and contains the rules systems to be able to control an entire interstellar empire (any of the five successor states, the periphery powers, or the clans) and lead them to war against other empires. The thing that i am curious to see about this game is its scaling. Battletech has always intended for these rules to scale up or down, and that with a little bit of work you could scale your battleforce level game down to individual 'mech on 'mech combat using total warfare. This book is also expected to contain advanced equipment and units from the all of the battle tech eras.
Those comprise the core battletech game, but wait, there's more.
A Time of War:
This is the battletech role-playing game, (yes, they make a role-playing game). It contains all of the rules needed to create your own character to interact with the battletech universe in just about any way you can imagine. Character creation has two different approaches, and i have run several reasonably successful campaigns using the character module system. The book has a lot of options, and contains options for converting back and forth between the RPG system and the board game system (There's a lot of overlap between them).
A Time of War Companion:
Much like Tactical Operations is the advanced supplement for Total Warfare, the companion volume for A Time of War adds a host of options for advanced level game play. It also incorporates a bunch of interesting plants and animals for the RPG to encounter along with a system for quickly making NPCs.
Alpha Strike:
Alpha Strike is a quick playing miniature war game set in the battletech universe. it uses Battletech miniatures and more traditional war game elements (terrain, measurement equipment) to weave together a quick playing game that uses company level engagements as the suggested starting point. A company vs. company engagement that utilizes the total warfare rules is likely an all day affair and will eat a lot of table space. Alpha Strike play uses a simplified record sheet for each unit and rapidly speeds up the game by simplifying actions.
Alpha Strike Companion:
This book contains supplemental rules for the game that explain a lot of the advanced technology that can be utilized in the game and provides the basis of force construction rules. The part that i truly like about the construction rules is that they give mechanical benefits for grouping appropriate units together, especially in setting approved sizes. The basic unit grouping is a lance, and the system has benefits for the player who builds his force out of lances and further augments them with special rules. The book also contains quirks and other 'mech specific traits and special pilot abilities.
These 9 books represent the core rules for the games that are available for the battletech universe, and for the most part, the three branches can work independently of each other to a point. You can run an A Time of War game that doesn't focus on 'mechs, and the game does not punish you for it. It does have all the rules should you decide to go the other way and make it a 'mech campaign. The Alpha Strike rules don't require any knowledge of the total warfare rules to play, but i think the knowledge that there are other options available for a change of pace is very handy.
There are 8 current core books for the setting with at least one more coming in the near future. Let's talk about them, after all, that's why we're here.
Total Warfare:
This is the primary rulebook that most players will need to continue learning battletech. It contains movement and combat rules for all of the traditional units you'll find in the game, (Warships are not counted as traditional in this environment due to their limited interactivity with the ground game and their in universe scarcity). It contains advanced weapon systems and options for playing randomly generated scenarios.
TechManual:
One of the key elements that has always drawn me back to battletech is the ability to construct your own units. Each chapter of this book contains the construction rules for a different combat unit and at least three different step by step examples of those rules in action. Battletech shares its technology tree fairly well, as the same weapons and equipment are designed for use on a wide array of vehicles, so you can see the same "medium laser" applied across combat vehicles, aerospace fighters, and battlemechs. The in universe model of medium laser may vary, but the game statistics are the same.
Tactical Operations:
I like to think of this book as the advanced rules for battletech, and that's a fairly apt descriptor. This book adds in rules for advanced movement options, buildings, terrain, and weather features to your game. Did you ever wonder how you fight out a battle on an airless moon while a volcano is erupting? This is your book. It also contains a large assortment of advanced equipment that you can use to further customize and create your own units.
Strategic Operations:
Strategic Operations is the first book that really takes a look at campaign style play. You can play a series of linked games that use the same units and can replay historic scenarios and devise new ones. This provides the rules for repair and customization, as well as integrating warships into the game's system. Did you want to calculate the time it would take for your forces to arrive on world after jumping in at a pirate point? This book handles that level of detail. It also contains the Battleforce rule set which allows for playing games with larger groupings of units at a manageable speed.
Interstellar Operations (Not out yet, but there was a beta that was available)
This is the last scale of play for battletech and contains the rules systems to be able to control an entire interstellar empire (any of the five successor states, the periphery powers, or the clans) and lead them to war against other empires. The thing that i am curious to see about this game is its scaling. Battletech has always intended for these rules to scale up or down, and that with a little bit of work you could scale your battleforce level game down to individual 'mech on 'mech combat using total warfare. This book is also expected to contain advanced equipment and units from the all of the battle tech eras.
Those comprise the core battletech game, but wait, there's more.
A Time of War:
This is the battletech role-playing game, (yes, they make a role-playing game). It contains all of the rules needed to create your own character to interact with the battletech universe in just about any way you can imagine. Character creation has two different approaches, and i have run several reasonably successful campaigns using the character module system. The book has a lot of options, and contains options for converting back and forth between the RPG system and the board game system (There's a lot of overlap between them).
A Time of War Companion:
Much like Tactical Operations is the advanced supplement for Total Warfare, the companion volume for A Time of War adds a host of options for advanced level game play. It also incorporates a bunch of interesting plants and animals for the RPG to encounter along with a system for quickly making NPCs.
Alpha Strike:
Alpha Strike is a quick playing miniature war game set in the battletech universe. it uses Battletech miniatures and more traditional war game elements (terrain, measurement equipment) to weave together a quick playing game that uses company level engagements as the suggested starting point. A company vs. company engagement that utilizes the total warfare rules is likely an all day affair and will eat a lot of table space. Alpha Strike play uses a simplified record sheet for each unit and rapidly speeds up the game by simplifying actions.
Alpha Strike Companion:
This book contains supplemental rules for the game that explain a lot of the advanced technology that can be utilized in the game and provides the basis of force construction rules. The part that i truly like about the construction rules is that they give mechanical benefits for grouping appropriate units together, especially in setting approved sizes. The basic unit grouping is a lance, and the system has benefits for the player who builds his force out of lances and further augments them with special rules. The book also contains quirks and other 'mech specific traits and special pilot abilities.
These 9 books represent the core rules for the games that are available for the battletech universe, and for the most part, the three branches can work independently of each other to a point. You can run an A Time of War game that doesn't focus on 'mechs, and the game does not punish you for it. It does have all the rules should you decide to go the other way and make it a 'mech campaign. The Alpha Strike rules don't require any knowledge of the total warfare rules to play, but i think the knowledge that there are other options available for a change of pace is very handy.
Friday, October 16, 2015
Your Quest Begins Here.... (Intro Reviews)
These are three products that serve as introductions to larger game universes. Today we'll be covering the Pathfinder Beginner's Box, The Dungeons and Dragons Starter Set (5th Edition), and the Classic Battletech Introductory Box Set. These three products serve as introductions to two things for each product. Each gives the players the introduction to the game system (the rules and the mechanics for how actions are performed, determining success or failure of those actions, and what consequences result from those actions), and the larger shared universe that the game takes place in. These are brief snippets of the larger gaming world designed to draw your interest and persuade you to take a look at a bigger investment of time and money.
For Each product, I look at four key factors.
Appearance: This refers to both internal and external art work, as well as layout and ease of access. I am a sucker for a product that looks as good on the shelf as it does on the tabletop.
Completeness: Does this box have everything that i need in order to play the game? Aside from pencils and scratch paper, which few boxed games rarely contain, are there any other things that i will need to fully interact with the game and enjoy it? (I really like a game that includes dice, especially as a beginner product)
Immersion: Does this product engage me on a level where i want to find out more about this setting? What are the hooks of this setting that make me want to dig in deeper. For me, this is a critical point in determining how involved i want to be with a product. The Pathfinder line is immense, and the Battletech universe has 30 years of books and setting material to work with. Does this introductory product sell me on investing the time, energy, and money into getting more involved with this product line?
Playability: (Not a real word, but i like it) Does this product provide me with a game i can play right out of the box? Are there pre-generated characters and adventures that i can play within five minutes of finding enough people to play the game? Do i have to sit down and make a character or fill in a sheet before i can get started? (I do like products that give me the option of doing both, giving me a pre-gen character along with the basic rules of character construction so i can make my own).
So let's start with the Pathfinder's Beginner's Box.
http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/products/beginnerbox
The Pathfinder Beginner's Box is the introductory product for the Pathfinder Role-Playing Game. It is fantasy world, with brave warriors, nimble rogues, pious clerics and powerful wizards fighting against orcs, goblins, giants, and a plethora (five Bestiaries) of monsters to encounter.
This Package contains:
64 Page Hero's Guide (short form Player's Handbook) Which contains the basic rules that a player needs to create a character and play the game.
96 Page Game Master's Guide (short form version of the Gamer Master's Guide and Bestiary) which contains the basic rules for running the game and a variety of monsters.
A Basic Set of seven polyhedral dice (useful for starting out, but eventually, all players will need their own dice, as it speeds up game play)
An assortment of Monster Tokens. Monster Tokens (and the four character tokens provided) allow players and game masters to track locations and movement from round to round during the game.
Four pre-generated characters (Ready to go out of the box with a full explanation on the sheet of how their abilities work, and a breakdown of how the numbers are utilized during the game).
Four Blank Character Sheets to make your own hero
Double sided playmat (For use with the tokens, each side represents a different area of the provided adventures so you can fully utilize the tokens to track combat from round to round).
By The Numbers
Appearance: The Box itself is covered with artwork, and it helps to sell the feel that this is a fantastic adventure in a world of monsters. The tokens are easy to identify and the dice are easy to read. The character sheets for this specific product are not the standard issue ones that other pathfinder products use. This is not a serious distraction, but more of a distraction when moving on to build your own character
Rating: 4 Gigawatts out of 5
Completeness: For a group of people completely new to gaming, this product provides everything you would need to learn the mechanics of how the pathfinder system works. It includes both textual information and visual representations for the game, and trust me, the tokens can be very helpful for learning how to interact with the game.
Rating : 5 Gigawatts out of 5
Immersion: The adventures provided with the box are quick enough to play in an evening if you're determined to, but the story components attached to it were interesting enough for me to go looking deeper into the setting. Their are hooks suggested for further reading and overall, the source material gives me a direction to start looking for deeper reading.
Rating 4 Gigawatts out of 5
Playability: As soon as you have your play group together, it will take you long enough to pass out the dice and for the GM to read through the introductory adventure section before you can start playing. That can take anywhere as short as five minutes, to as long as a half an hour, but the game itself is ready to be played from the moment you have your friends.
Rating 5 Gigawatts out of 5
Overall, I think that this product is an excellent introduction to the Pathfinder setting and the system to play in it. It has as an MSRP of 34.99 for the print edition with the tokens and maps (and actual physical box) or 9.99 for a pdf format copy.
Next on the tour of things most introductory is the Dungeons and Dragons Starter Set
http://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/rpg_starterset
The Dungeons and Dragons Starter Set is a gateway to the newest edition of the world's oldest role-playing game. Set along the Sword Coast of the continent of Faerun in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, the introductory starter set contains everything needed to learn the most recent edition of Dungeons and Dragons.
This Package contains:
64-page adventure book with a complete adventure for characters up to 5th level. (This booklet also contains the basic rules for running adventures with this system)
32-page rulebook for playing characters level 1-5 (This is a short form player's handbook for learning how to play this game)
5 pre-generated characters, with character sheet (ready to play out of the box without any modifications other than adding names)
1 blank character sheet (for making your own heroes, once your comfortable with the system)
6 dice
By The Numbers
Appearance: The Box itself has one of the most iconic monsters in the game setting. It drew my eye immediately to the box, and i was not disappointed with the internal layout of the booklets. Again, these layouts were well done, with art used appropriately to draw the eye and augment the text. The character sheets used in this product, unlike the ones in the Pathfinder Box are similar enough to the ones used with other products that a new player will not have a difficulty identifying different sheets.
Rating: 5 Gigawatts out of 5
Completeness: This box provides all of the mechanical rules needed to learn how to play four of the most basic character concepts up to 5th level. The adventure enclosed The Lost Mines of Phandelver feels like a fully enclosed story for those characters. This product does not come with tokens or a map, however, and for people who are unfamiliar with a game like this, those additional visual components can be very useful in figuring out interactions.
Rating : 4 Gigawatts out of 5
Immersion: The introductory adventure in this box has a lot more details and encounters than the counterpoint from the Pathfinder box. It is firmly rooted into the setting material and pulls you into the Sword Coast. This box set does a better job of pulling the reader into the setting, which is i think the key to an immersive product.
Rating 5 Gigawatts out of 5
Playability: This product has the same things going for it that the Pathfinder Box has. Once you have your group of people together, you're ready to play. This system is different from the pathfinder one, and i encourage you to try both and see which one you find to be more appealing. This box is ready to play as soon as you find some friends to play with.
Rating 5 Gigawatts out of 5
I think this product does a great job of introducing the mechanical changes to the most recent edition of Dungeons and Dragons, and with an MSRP of 19.99 it will provide many hours of fun for a group of new gamers.
The final item up for viewing today is the Classic Battletech Introductory Box Set.
http://www.battlecorps.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=27_178&products_id=3296
The Battletech Introductory Box Set contains everything that two players need in order to dive into the world of Battletech. Battletech is a futuristic game of tactical combat between opposing groups of giant robots called Battlemechs. Unlike the other two products, This is a board game, not a role-playing game.
This Package contains:
24 unpainted, ready-to-play plastic BattleMech minis (These represent a wide range of battlemech units and can be used in myriad combinations against each other)
2 unpainted, premium-quality plastic BattleMech minis (These require some assmebly, and as of the most recent printing are a Mad Cat Omnimech and a Battlemaster).
One 12-page full-color quick-start rulebook will have players into the action in minutes (This booklet has quick start sheets for learning the game and playing your first few games)
36-page book of pre-generated BattleMech Record Sheets (These are specific sheets for each Battlemech, and record damage, heat, and ammunition expenditure as the game progresses).
One 80-page full-color rulebook (This is an abbreviated version of the Total Warfare rules of battletech and has rules written explained for battlemechs).
Inner Sphere at a Glance, a 56-page full-color book of universe background and BattleMech technical data (This book explains the in universe details and explanations for the history and technology of the Battletech Universe)
One 16-page full-color Painting and Tactics Guide (The entirety of the units provided are supplied unpainted, giving the players opportunities to express themselves in a variety of artistic expressions)
Two heavy-duty cards of compiled tables (For quick reference of the necessary modifiers and costs associated with movement and combat)
Two 18” x 24” game-board quality maps. (These are high quality double sided cardboard maps)
Two six-sided dice
One full-color, poster-sized map of the Inner Sphere circa 3067 (This poster sized map folds out and shows the area of space controlled by the human race as of 3067)
By The Numbers
Appearance: Battletech has stepped up its artistic game, and the cover of this box features an iconic unit (the Atlas, one of which is included in the box). The miniatures in this printing of the game are of a much better quality than the one immediately preceding it. The layout of the books inside are well done, and then art supports the surrounding material. The charts and the sheets are well laid out, and with practice are easy to read.
Rating: 5 Gigawatts out of 5
Completeness: There are two minor issues from keeping this from being a fully complete box. Units have a modifier to hit based off of how far they move, and the box lacks a mechanism to ease new players into this. Most players will need replacement sheets after their first few games, and without supplementary support, they're going to burn through a lot of erasers cleaning their sheets up. Other than these minor issues, the box is a fully ready to play game for a minimum of two players.
Rating : 4 Gigawatts out of 5
Immersion: This is the first product that actually has a setting book included in it. The Inner Sphere at a glance has a rundown of the important people, places and factions that are available to use in 3067. This is a well constructed primer which gives historical information and the basics of the science behind the game. There are dozens of jumping off points in this book to further dig into the battletech universe.
Rating 5 Gigawatts out of 5
Playability: With two exceptions, the models provided are ready to play right out of the box, and the quick start rules are designed to get you playing as soon as you find your first opponent. The game scales up to larger groupings of units in the box set without needing to reach beyond this boxed set, and you can have hours upon hours of fun using just it.
Rating 5 Gigawatts out of 5
For a world as rich and complex as battletech, this box hits the right spots to introduce players to the thing that i always felt was the draw to the universe, the giant robots. There are other units that exist ranging from unarmored infantry all the way up to interstellar transport craft designed to move large units from system (and the rules set exists to support that level of play, if you want to), but this box focuses on giant stompy robots that smash each other. The MSRP of $59.99 on this product is higher than the other two, but the box has more components and includes miniatures.
So those are my three introductory boxes for the Month of October, If you have a product you'd like to hear about, or have any questions, feel free to leave comments below.
And because I love this in a way that's hard to describe with words
Photo Credit :Geek & Sundry
For Each product, I look at four key factors.
Appearance: This refers to both internal and external art work, as well as layout and ease of access. I am a sucker for a product that looks as good on the shelf as it does on the tabletop.
Completeness: Does this box have everything that i need in order to play the game? Aside from pencils and scratch paper, which few boxed games rarely contain, are there any other things that i will need to fully interact with the game and enjoy it? (I really like a game that includes dice, especially as a beginner product)
Immersion: Does this product engage me on a level where i want to find out more about this setting? What are the hooks of this setting that make me want to dig in deeper. For me, this is a critical point in determining how involved i want to be with a product. The Pathfinder line is immense, and the Battletech universe has 30 years of books and setting material to work with. Does this introductory product sell me on investing the time, energy, and money into getting more involved with this product line?
Playability: (Not a real word, but i like it) Does this product provide me with a game i can play right out of the box? Are there pre-generated characters and adventures that i can play within five minutes of finding enough people to play the game? Do i have to sit down and make a character or fill in a sheet before i can get started? (I do like products that give me the option of doing both, giving me a pre-gen character along with the basic rules of character construction so i can make my own).
So let's start with the Pathfinder's Beginner's Box.
http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/products/beginnerbox
The Pathfinder Beginner's Box is the introductory product for the Pathfinder Role-Playing Game. It is fantasy world, with brave warriors, nimble rogues, pious clerics and powerful wizards fighting against orcs, goblins, giants, and a plethora (five Bestiaries) of monsters to encounter.
This Package contains:
64 Page Hero's Guide (short form Player's Handbook) Which contains the basic rules that a player needs to create a character and play the game.
96 Page Game Master's Guide (short form version of the Gamer Master's Guide and Bestiary) which contains the basic rules for running the game and a variety of monsters.
A Basic Set of seven polyhedral dice (useful for starting out, but eventually, all players will need their own dice, as it speeds up game play)
An assortment of Monster Tokens. Monster Tokens (and the four character tokens provided) allow players and game masters to track locations and movement from round to round during the game.
Four pre-generated characters (Ready to go out of the box with a full explanation on the sheet of how their abilities work, and a breakdown of how the numbers are utilized during the game).
Four Blank Character Sheets to make your own hero
Double sided playmat (For use with the tokens, each side represents a different area of the provided adventures so you can fully utilize the tokens to track combat from round to round).
By The Numbers
Appearance: The Box itself is covered with artwork, and it helps to sell the feel that this is a fantastic adventure in a world of monsters. The tokens are easy to identify and the dice are easy to read. The character sheets for this specific product are not the standard issue ones that other pathfinder products use. This is not a serious distraction, but more of a distraction when moving on to build your own character
Rating: 4 Gigawatts out of 5
Completeness: For a group of people completely new to gaming, this product provides everything you would need to learn the mechanics of how the pathfinder system works. It includes both textual information and visual representations for the game, and trust me, the tokens can be very helpful for learning how to interact with the game.
Rating : 5 Gigawatts out of 5
Immersion: The adventures provided with the box are quick enough to play in an evening if you're determined to, but the story components attached to it were interesting enough for me to go looking deeper into the setting. Their are hooks suggested for further reading and overall, the source material gives me a direction to start looking for deeper reading.
Rating 4 Gigawatts out of 5
Playability: As soon as you have your play group together, it will take you long enough to pass out the dice and for the GM to read through the introductory adventure section before you can start playing. That can take anywhere as short as five minutes, to as long as a half an hour, but the game itself is ready to be played from the moment you have your friends.
Rating 5 Gigawatts out of 5
Overall, I think that this product is an excellent introduction to the Pathfinder setting and the system to play in it. It has as an MSRP of 34.99 for the print edition with the tokens and maps (and actual physical box) or 9.99 for a pdf format copy.
Next on the tour of things most introductory is the Dungeons and Dragons Starter Set
http://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/rpg_starterset
The Dungeons and Dragons Starter Set is a gateway to the newest edition of the world's oldest role-playing game. Set along the Sword Coast of the continent of Faerun in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, the introductory starter set contains everything needed to learn the most recent edition of Dungeons and Dragons.
This Package contains:
64-page adventure book with a complete adventure for characters up to 5th level. (This booklet also contains the basic rules for running adventures with this system)
32-page rulebook for playing characters level 1-5 (This is a short form player's handbook for learning how to play this game)
5 pre-generated characters, with character sheet (ready to play out of the box without any modifications other than adding names)
1 blank character sheet (for making your own heroes, once your comfortable with the system)
6 dice
By The Numbers
Appearance: The Box itself has one of the most iconic monsters in the game setting. It drew my eye immediately to the box, and i was not disappointed with the internal layout of the booklets. Again, these layouts were well done, with art used appropriately to draw the eye and augment the text. The character sheets used in this product, unlike the ones in the Pathfinder Box are similar enough to the ones used with other products that a new player will not have a difficulty identifying different sheets.
Rating: 5 Gigawatts out of 5
Completeness: This box provides all of the mechanical rules needed to learn how to play four of the most basic character concepts up to 5th level. The adventure enclosed The Lost Mines of Phandelver feels like a fully enclosed story for those characters. This product does not come with tokens or a map, however, and for people who are unfamiliar with a game like this, those additional visual components can be very useful in figuring out interactions.
Rating : 4 Gigawatts out of 5
Immersion: The introductory adventure in this box has a lot more details and encounters than the counterpoint from the Pathfinder box. It is firmly rooted into the setting material and pulls you into the Sword Coast. This box set does a better job of pulling the reader into the setting, which is i think the key to an immersive product.
Rating 5 Gigawatts out of 5
Playability: This product has the same things going for it that the Pathfinder Box has. Once you have your group of people together, you're ready to play. This system is different from the pathfinder one, and i encourage you to try both and see which one you find to be more appealing. This box is ready to play as soon as you find some friends to play with.
Rating 5 Gigawatts out of 5
I think this product does a great job of introducing the mechanical changes to the most recent edition of Dungeons and Dragons, and with an MSRP of 19.99 it will provide many hours of fun for a group of new gamers.
The final item up for viewing today is the Classic Battletech Introductory Box Set.
http://www.battlecorps.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=27_178&products_id=3296
This Package contains:
24 unpainted, ready-to-play plastic BattleMech minis (These represent a wide range of battlemech units and can be used in myriad combinations against each other)
2 unpainted, premium-quality plastic BattleMech minis (These require some assmebly, and as of the most recent printing are a Mad Cat Omnimech and a Battlemaster).
One 12-page full-color quick-start rulebook will have players into the action in minutes (This booklet has quick start sheets for learning the game and playing your first few games)
36-page book of pre-generated BattleMech Record Sheets (These are specific sheets for each Battlemech, and record damage, heat, and ammunition expenditure as the game progresses).
One 80-page full-color rulebook (This is an abbreviated version of the Total Warfare rules of battletech and has rules written explained for battlemechs).
Inner Sphere at a Glance, a 56-page full-color book of universe background and BattleMech technical data (This book explains the in universe details and explanations for the history and technology of the Battletech Universe)
One 16-page full-color Painting and Tactics Guide (The entirety of the units provided are supplied unpainted, giving the players opportunities to express themselves in a variety of artistic expressions)
Two heavy-duty cards of compiled tables (For quick reference of the necessary modifiers and costs associated with movement and combat)
Two 18” x 24” game-board quality maps. (These are high quality double sided cardboard maps)
Two six-sided dice
One full-color, poster-sized map of the Inner Sphere circa 3067 (This poster sized map folds out and shows the area of space controlled by the human race as of 3067)
By The Numbers
Appearance: Battletech has stepped up its artistic game, and the cover of this box features an iconic unit (the Atlas, one of which is included in the box). The miniatures in this printing of the game are of a much better quality than the one immediately preceding it. The layout of the books inside are well done, and then art supports the surrounding material. The charts and the sheets are well laid out, and with practice are easy to read.
Rating: 5 Gigawatts out of 5
Completeness: There are two minor issues from keeping this from being a fully complete box. Units have a modifier to hit based off of how far they move, and the box lacks a mechanism to ease new players into this. Most players will need replacement sheets after their first few games, and without supplementary support, they're going to burn through a lot of erasers cleaning their sheets up. Other than these minor issues, the box is a fully ready to play game for a minimum of two players.
Rating : 4 Gigawatts out of 5
Immersion: This is the first product that actually has a setting book included in it. The Inner Sphere at a glance has a rundown of the important people, places and factions that are available to use in 3067. This is a well constructed primer which gives historical information and the basics of the science behind the game. There are dozens of jumping off points in this book to further dig into the battletech universe.
Rating 5 Gigawatts out of 5
Playability: With two exceptions, the models provided are ready to play right out of the box, and the quick start rules are designed to get you playing as soon as you find your first opponent. The game scales up to larger groupings of units in the box set without needing to reach beyond this boxed set, and you can have hours upon hours of fun using just it.
Rating 5 Gigawatts out of 5
For a world as rich and complex as battletech, this box hits the right spots to introduce players to the thing that i always felt was the draw to the universe, the giant robots. There are other units that exist ranging from unarmored infantry all the way up to interstellar transport craft designed to move large units from system (and the rules set exists to support that level of play, if you want to), but this box focuses on giant stompy robots that smash each other. The MSRP of $59.99 on this product is higher than the other two, but the box has more components and includes miniatures.
So those are my three introductory boxes for the Month of October, If you have a product you'd like to hear about, or have any questions, feel free to leave comments below.
And because I love this in a way that's hard to describe with words
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Battletech: A Game of Armored Combat
First Post, for the first non traditional Board Game i ever picked up. I blame my brother for this one, as he started playing right before he went off to college. I fell in love with the game, and though we have parted ways several different times, we always seem to wind up back together again. If i were to pick the two games that i always work my way back to, they would be Battletech, and Dungeons and Dragons (Pick an edition).
Battletech is the story of our future as humankind spreading across the stars. The original time frame for the game was the early part of the 31st century, with the game's backdrop being the end of the Third Succession War. Five vast interstellar nations fight for control over dwindling resources in an effort to claim supremacy and unite human space under their banner.
For reference, this is the box i started with
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/images/thumb/c/ce/Bt2ed.jpg/800px-Bt2ed.jpg
(Btw, www.sarna.net is the battletech wiki, and is full of information about the vast history of the Battletech Universe)
Originally Published as Battledroids in 1984, Battletech has a thirty year history that stretches across novels, computer games, several different editions of the board game, a collectible card game, and a miniatures rules set for quick play games.
Battletech is also responsible for me meeting one of the best friends i have in the universe. For the sake of his wife not killing the both of us, We will refer to him as "Drewbacca."
This is the most recent picture of Drewbacca
and for safety reasons, we will only be adding photos in this format.
Drewbaca and i were attending university at the same time, and met at a gaming club meeting. I wasn't really paying attention until i heard a young wookie roar "Does anyone here play the game Battletech?" (Translated by magic). This sparked a friendship that has lasted for several years and seen us move through many different game systems, but we still discuss battletech a lot.
Battletech has undergone some changes over the years, but the current publishers, Catalyst Game Labs continue to produce setting information and other materials for several games.
Harebrained Schemes (operated by Jordan Weisman, creator of the battletech universe), as of this publication, have kickstarted a computer game version of Battletech. As of publication, they have raised 1.7 million dollars to produce this new game and are rapidly closing in on a stretch goal for an open ended campaign for their computer game.
I'll add some more information in my next post about this game universe, but here are some links that i find helpful for getting your feet wet in the universe.
http://bg.battletech.com/new-to-the-board-game/
http://www.catalystgamelabs.com/
http://harebrained-schemes.com/
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/webeharebrained/battletech
Battletech is the story of our future as humankind spreading across the stars. The original time frame for the game was the early part of the 31st century, with the game's backdrop being the end of the Third Succession War. Five vast interstellar nations fight for control over dwindling resources in an effort to claim supremacy and unite human space under their banner.
For reference, this is the box i started with
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/images/thumb/c/ce/Bt2ed.jpg/800px-Bt2ed.jpg
(Btw, www.sarna.net is the battletech wiki, and is full of information about the vast history of the Battletech Universe)
Originally Published as Battledroids in 1984, Battletech has a thirty year history that stretches across novels, computer games, several different editions of the board game, a collectible card game, and a miniatures rules set for quick play games.
Battletech is also responsible for me meeting one of the best friends i have in the universe. For the sake of his wife not killing the both of us, We will refer to him as "Drewbacca."
This is the most recent picture of Drewbacca
Drewbaca and i were attending university at the same time, and met at a gaming club meeting. I wasn't really paying attention until i heard a young wookie roar "Does anyone here play the game Battletech?" (Translated by magic). This sparked a friendship that has lasted for several years and seen us move through many different game systems, but we still discuss battletech a lot.
Battletech has undergone some changes over the years, but the current publishers, Catalyst Game Labs continue to produce setting information and other materials for several games.
Harebrained Schemes (operated by Jordan Weisman, creator of the battletech universe), as of this publication, have kickstarted a computer game version of Battletech. As of publication, they have raised 1.7 million dollars to produce this new game and are rapidly closing in on a stretch goal for an open ended campaign for their computer game.
I'll add some more information in my next post about this game universe, but here are some links that i find helpful for getting your feet wet in the universe.
http://bg.battletech.com/new-to-the-board-game/
http://www.catalystgamelabs.com/
http://harebrained-schemes.com/
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/webeharebrained/battletech
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