The Return of Battletech

 

Battletech is one of my favorite franchises. You have a rich and sordid history, filled with heroes, villains, epic battles, betrayals and triumphs, oh and big, stompy robots.

Battletech has so many things under its umbrella. Miniatures, video games, novels, even a cartoon. It has risen in popularity and waned over its life. There was a period it was on life support. After the extremely successful kickstarter it is back with a vengeance.

One of my earliest memories while living in England, a friend had picked up a copy of 2nd Edition. We didn't know what was going on, but there were maps, dice, and cardboard cutouts of these badass robots. We played, though I know for a fact, not by the rules, but we had fun.

When we moved back stateside my next experience with Battletech was through the computer. There was an Infocom 3 pack of the Crescent Hawks Inception, the Crescent Hawks Revenge, and the original Mechwarrior. I beat Inception, couldn't get into Revenge, and spent I don't know how long destroying enemy 'Mechs through Mechwarrior.

Mechwarrior 2 was just awesome, one of the first CD-ROM games I owned, and that opening cinematic was just amazing. I played the Ghost Bears Legacy after that, but couldn't get MW 2 Mercenaries to run.

Shortly after that I found my long term gaming group in California and really played some Battletech. It was fun, crunchy, and sometimes really long as those bigger battles can be slugfests.

Along the way, FASA found out they might not actually have the licenses to their classic designs (Fuck you Harmony Gold) and they decided to stop using any 'Mechs not designed in house. In the long run that was probably the best choice, to avoid any future legal shenanigans. 

FASA shut its doors and Fanpro picked up the license. A dark spot for a lot of players was the Clicky-tech. I liked some of the models, and I liked how it made Battletech accessible, I just HATED the random aspect of getting the models. I tolerated that, briefly with Magic the Gathering, but couldn't bring myself to spring for boxes of random 'Mechs, infantry, and vehicles.

There was an attempt to bring back the classic, Unseen 'Mechs through Project Phoenix. The idea was the artists would redesign the class Unseen 'Mechs to allow them to be used. They'd be similar, but not exact, and not enough for Harmony Gold, the litigious fucks they are, to sue them. Some of the Project Phoenix models were nice looking, some okay, and some were hell no. I also read the horror stories of people trying to assemble a Marauder, and the absolute pain that was. 

Battletech sort of went on life support, with only the hardcore players keeping it alive after that. I have fond memories of some of the old designs, especially the Unseen, but let's face it - a lot of the 'Mech designs, whether the line art or the sculpts, are pretty goofy.

Some of that changed when Catalyst Game Labs acquired the license, but it REALLY changed when they redid A Game of Armored Combat.

CGL, with the help of some really talented design artists, redesigned a lot of the classic 'Mechs to make them more consistent in size, as well as overall visual designs. The core game came with 8 'Mechs, 2 from each weight class, and they are stunning.

The floodgates really opened when CGL launched the Clan Invasion Kickstarter. I didn't get in on it originally, I only joined when they reopened it. From what I remember the original goal was $30K, enough to get the Clan Invasion boxed set designed, plus a couple of lance packs. They blew past that in the first hour. Every time CGL added a new stretch goal, they had already surpassed it. More Lance and Clan packs, more maps, cards, even a Plushie was added.

All of the 'Mechs were redesigned in the same vein of AGoAC. The 'Mechs were all in the same scale, and all had the look of massive walking warmachines. The best part, for me - they were all in PLASTIC. Don't get me wrong, I applaud Iron Wind Metals for keeping the home fires going. They kept producing newer miniatures, and kept providing older ones, but I am sick of metal models. They are heavy, a pain in the ass to assemble, and the paint chips when you look at them cross-eyed.

I got in on the Kickstarter when they reopened it. I was only able to get in as a Star Captain, because money is a thing. Still, no regrets. It seemed to take forever, but the factories finally started to deliver product, and I became one of those screaming fans who checked their email for that message my package was about to be shipped, and checked Fed Ex for when it would get here.

The Kickstarter, and the new models, have helped revitalize the franchise, and bring in a lot of newer players. One of the sticking points was there potential players who saw big stompy robots, but saw some of the older goofy sculpts. Now, players young and old are grabbing what they can, and some stores are having issues keeping inventory in stock. 

I actually got to play Battletech for the first time in close to twenty years recently. It felt good to move models across the map, roll dice to hit, and cross armor and structure boxes off as I took damage. I don't know where we're going, but I am glad I'm along for the ride! Here are some pictures of models I've painted along the way.

The start of my Inner Sphere mercenary company - Tuscan's Raiders.

I picked up a second box of A Game of Armored Combat and painted them up as House Kurita for an OpFor, plus a few other 'Mechs I had gotten.

For my Clan faction, I went with Clan Diamond Shark. I enjoyed the fluff, love the blue, and had a blast painting these guys up. Can't wait to get them on the board either in Battletech or Alpha Strike.

What was your first experience in Battletech? Are you a Clanner or Spheroid? Favorite 'Mech? Favorite Era? Comment below!