A Very BattleTech Christmas!

 So, Today’s a longer bit of fun, and I’m going to cover some Battletech shopping ideas for your holiday shopper.  Hopefully i find something for everyone, but some of these things are very specific.  BattleTech is easier than some product lines for getting multiple copies of some things, but i would always check with a partner or a close friend before taking the plunge, especially on something pricey.  So, let’s see what we can see to make this a very Big Stompy Robot Holliday Season for you and your friends.

Universal application

Salvage Boxes

These are single item, blind box BattleTech products.  Inside each is a tiny plastic robot that corresponds to one of the models of Big Stompy Robot that are used as playing pieces for BattleTech and Alpha Strike.  These things retail for about 8 bucks American, and are perfect stocking stuffers and value adds for folks who are aiming to maximize their holiday budget.  The downside is that they’re out of stock just about everywhere, so if you can find them, i would encourage you to get them. 

Note: There are several different categories of these, the two most common are the Clan Invasion and Mercenaries editions.  (They pull from separate pools of playing pieces for the game)

For the New Player

There are two key products i would encourage you here (and an honorable mention), BattleTech Essentials, and The Beginner Box.  Both Retail for around 20 bucks American, and feature roughly the same experience.  Both boxed sets come with two miniatures, maps, and everything a new player needs to discover the mechanics of BattleTech without getting lost.  

They are exceptional introductory products, and at the price point of around $25 , they will not break the budget for a holiday shopper with a limit.  

The honorable mention i would toss into this ring is the BattleMech Manual.  The BMM is a fantastic resource for new players who want to learn the core mechanics of BattleTech but are focused purely on the Big Stompy Robot section of the game.  It features all of the mechanics needed for Giant Robot violence, and provides a sampling of advanced rules to make the game more interesting.  The physical copy of the book retails for $40, though PDF copies are available from the CGL store (Which i will provide a link at the end of this article for that site).  

Note: Purchasing the PDF from the webstore means you’ll get an email notification when your book gets an errata (and BattleTech has semi regular errata updates), allowing you get an updated copy with the errata already included.  

For the Journeyman

For most folks, the next step up from the Beginner’s Box goes one of two directions. For the folks who love the heavy crunch and simulation aspect of the game, People go for A Game of Armored Combat, which is the Battletech Boxed set.  Featuring eight plastic mechs, a host of accessories and rules, A Game of Armored Combat is probably the best choice for getting folks into the heart of Battletech. With a retail price of $59.99, it isn’t cheap, but it is on part with a new fresh release for a video game Console, or what is presumably two packs of Magic: the Gathering cards (I don’t keep track anymore, i assume Magic is a currency in some regions).  Relative to the Tiny Plastic miniature war game market, it is a very affordably priced starter set.  

The other direction people go is for Alpha Strike.  Alpha Strike peels back a little bit of the crunch and granularity of BattleTech as featured in A Game of Armored Combat to enable larger games to be played.  Alpha Strike trades granularity for a ease of play, and it smoothes out a lot of the rougher edges of BattleTech.  They are both very different experiences but use the same playing pieces.  I personally enjoy both.  Alpha Strike also has a boxed set with a retail price of $79.99. Note, it has 5 more units than A Game of Armored Combat, which accounts for the price difference.  Alpha Strike is also a very serviceable 2 player starter set for the Alpha Strike game (and i cover that in more detail in a different post here).  

At this point, you can also pick up the previously encouraged Battlemech Manual (for use with A Game of Armored Combat) or Alpha Strike: Commander’s Edition (The core rulebook for Alpha Strike).  (Both Retail for $39.99).  

From here, i’ll cover some specific products to keep in mind for folks

For the non BattleTech Friend you’re trying to bring into the Fold.

Battletech Universe (A wonderful jumping off point into the setting and all of its many splendid components at a surface level).  

For the Artist

BattleTech has released two paint sets (Army Painter brand, with licensed names and art from BattleTech).  One is a beginner’s set (which you can try out on a salvage box mini), while the other is a more complete set (which can be used for folks who have picked up any of the Boxed Sets).  

For the Wearables

Battletech has a host of extremely comfortable Shirts featuring popular factions throughout the game.  (I love my 40th anniversary shirt, stupendously comfortable and fits well on a big person).  

For the Consumer of Liquids

Battletech also got into the Mugs game, and has a variety of Mugs for your liquid consumption needs.  

For the Kids

Battletech may be a little complicated to grab the mechanics of, but they have released 3 different Activity books for younger fans to get in on the giant robot fun.  Grab a box of crayons and go to town.  

For the Reader

Battletech has a host of fiction choices, but i’m inclined to start folks out with Shrapnel.  Battletech has a quarterly anthology series featuring stories from around the setting.  As of writing, they’re about to release number 19, and these are wonderful snippets of stories to whet your appetite for the larger fictional universe.  

If you’re looking for specific modern suggestions, i would suggest Letter of the Law, by Philip Lee, Redemption Rites by Jason Schmetzer, The Damocles Sanction by Michael J. Ciaravella, Skulk of Foxes by Jason Hansa, or A Question of Survival by Bryan Young.  

If you want to start with the foundational stories of BattleTech, the Grey Death Legion trilogy by William H. Keith Jr and the Warrior trilogy by Michael Stackpole are both Touchstones for what BattleTech feels like.  Robert Thurston also introduced us to the Clans starting with Way of the Clans.  

BattleTech has a lot of fiction written for it, and there are a lot of folks who’ve written their material to be perfect introductions to the setting (though if you see something is book X of a series, and that X is not 1, i’d steer clear until you can find the rest of the series).  

Next week we’ll do a little comparison of the affordability of BattleTech as a War Game, and gear up for more holiday Hijinks.  Y’all have fun now.  

Just about everything listed above can be found at the Catalyst Web Store, (found here) though as always, we strongly suggest you support your local game store first and frequently.  Happy early Holidays folks.