KickStarter BattleTech Pre-Release Thread

[Cael]

Space speedos + cooling vest combo seems to show up on many relatively recent looking illustrations.

EDIT: It's the big neurohelmet that crowns the silly look.

Wish they'd do away with that one. It looked silly whichever way you look at it, and most of them prevented you from turning your head, which is something that is always ignored in the books.

 

[Bohr]

Sadly the 'cooling bikinis' have apparently been retconned to full length cooling suits

(read that somewhere, not sure if it refers to just this game or modern BT in general)

That is post-3050, and very much recovered LosTech, so only the ultra elites had it.

Pre-3050, they were still using old style cooling vests, which means basically shorts, bikini top for women, armoured boots and cooling vest.

Yes, looking into it it seems full cooling suits are still classed as lostech in 3025.

Not that it matters at all for this game, but I guess that comment I saw on the HBS forums was related to this answer from the KS questions/comments, and the full clothing they always showed afterwards, like the woman smoking on top of her Catapult

Hey! >>>[supported by lore] I want my female mechwarriors in nothing but their undies and cooling vest xD Possible?<<<
Mitch - No. Unless we can put male MechWarriors in banana-hammocks, too.

concept art

(Cue many "bring on the banana-hammocks" comments which Mitch studiously ignored )

 

[Mark Richard]

The crew must get blasted with a noxious funk every time they need to open the mech up. There aren't enough air fresheners in the galaxy to cover that smell in the enclosed space of a cockpit. I don't even like using public gym equipment, imagine being a replacement pilot who has to sit in a chair soaked in the oils of its former occupant. At the very least I'd insist they install a brand new chair. Take it out of my salary, I'm not getting in a chair that smells like ass.

 

[Country_Gravy]

Being a Mechwarrior isn't for pussies.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

It helps to be into some kinky shit.

 

[Cael]

Sadly the 'cooling bikinis' have apparently been retconned to full length cooling suits

(read that somewhere, not sure if it refers to just this game or modern BT in general)

That is post-3050, and very much recovered LosTech, so only the ultra elites had it.

Pre-3050, they were still using old style cooling vests, which means basically shorts, bikini top for women, armoured boots and cooling vest.

Yes, looking into it it seems full cooling suits are still classed as lostech in 3025.

Not that it matters at all for this game, but I guess that comment I saw on the HBS forums was related to this answer from the KS questions/comments, and the full clothing they always showed afterwards, like the woman smoking on top of her Catapult

Hey! >>>[supported by lore] I want my female mechwarriors in nothing but their undies and cooling vest xD Possible?<<<
Mitch - No. Unless we can put male MechWarriors in banana-hammocks, too.

concept art

(Cue many "bring on the banana-hammocks" comments which Mitch studiously ignored )

Yeah. PC over practicality. Those idiots would ROAST in a 'mech cockpit rather than pander to ACTUAL equality whereby both men AND women go topless. Bloody SJWs

 

[Cael]

The crew must get blasted with a noxious funk every time they need to open the mech up. There aren't enough air fresheners in the galaxy to cover that smell in the enclosed space of a cockpit. I don't even like using public gym equipment, imagine being a replacement pilot who has to sit in a chair soaked in the oils of its former occupant. At the very least I'd insist they install a brand new chair. Take it out of my salary, I'm not getting in a chair that smells like ass.

Could be worse. You could be the next guy to have to pilot a 'mech whose last pilot got hit by a stray gauss round...

 

[GarfunkeL]

Makes you wonder what they use to clean the cockpit. Water and vinegar doesn't sound strong enough.

And yes, I fondly remember the 80s FASA illustrations with near-nude chicks emerging from giant robots. I blame BT for my fetishes.

 

[Cael]

Makes you wonder what they use to clean the cockpit. Water and vinegar doesn't sound strong enough.

Coca-Cola. The only cleaning agent you will ever need.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Makes you wonder what they use to clean the cockpit. Water and vinegar doesn't sound strong enough.

And yes, I fondly remember the 80s FASA illustrations with near-nude chicks emerging from giant robots. I blame BT for my fetishes.

It was totally the fetish of at least someone over at FASA.

 

[Jason Liang]

I put money it was Liz Danforth

 

[veevoir]

Makes you wonder what they use to clean the cockpit. Water and vinegar doesn't sound strong enough.

And yes, I fondly remember the 80s FASA illustrations with near-nude chicks emerging from giant robots. I blame BT for my fetishes.

It was totally the fetish of at least someone over at FASA.

It was the 80s.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Intent is probably rather different.

 

[GarfunkeL]

My Google-Fu is weak. That's the only one I could find that's genuinely from the 80s. I remember that both the old BattleTech rulebook as well as the MechWarrior RPG rulebook had a couple of nice pin-ups. Mission Books and AeroTech probably had more. Someone must have scanned those books.

 

[Cael]

My Google-Fu is weak. That's the only one I could find that's genuinely from the 80s. I remember that both the old BattleTech rulebook as well as the MechWarrior RPG rulebook had a couple of nice pin-ups. Mission Books and AeroTech probably had more. Someone must have scanned those books.

Hmm... Not sure if that turned up, but link: http://www.sarna.net/wiki/File:The-Spider-and-the-Wolf.jpg

 

[Bohr]

Regarding the debate a few pages ago about lights remaining useful, that discussion has kicked off on the PDX forums too (and was a regular on the old forums and since the original design goals for the game were announced) and I saw somewhere that the extra sensor range they had in the beta may be gone now.

Which leaves their advantages as initiative/speed/defense bonus/cost - although only cheaper to repair as operational costs are the same, and given armour is free and you only pay for structural damage more heavily armoured mechs may end up cheaper, depending on how well one plays with the light.

But it's worth remembering the 'Ace Pilot' advanced skill, which allows you to shoot or sensor lock, and then still move afterwards in the same turn. The tactic where one uses reserve to nip in, fire with a light, then go first to escape in the next round is pretty common. But Ace Pilot means you can get in with your Jenner, fire 4 mls into someone's back, do the same next round and still get out. Can see this being used by decent players to be extremely annoying - and effective - in pvp.

Of course, with the paper-thin armour, they just need to get it wrong one turn and a bigger mech or long range specialist could rip them apart, so it does need to be carefully judged.

 

[Jason Liang]

I love the Battletech universe, but the one time I played table top was a horrible experience.

A few years later, the same with MechWarrior: Dark Ages. I spent about $80 in packs, put together a squad, played someone and got methodically destroyed since my little men couldn't even scratch his unique Ryoken, and never picked it up again.

http://www.warrenborn.com/Unit.php?ID=D110

 

[Cael]

I love the Battletech universe, but the one time I played table top was a horrible experience.

A few years later, the same with MechWarrior: Dark Ages. I spent about $80 in packs, put together a squad, played someone and got methodically destroyed since my little men couldn't even scratch his unique Ryoken, and never picked it up again.

http://www.warrenborn.com/Unit.php?ID=D110

Dark Age... Bwahahahahahaha!

Let me guess, you tried to go up against his Ryoken with a chainsaw wielding AgroMech and got your ass handed to you.

Oh, man. Going up against a customised Ryoken in Dark Age, the game for which they made up the rules for extra low tech civilian 'mechs because they wanted to bring the tech levels down even lower. A game where an Urbie wrecked face in the game manual. A game where 'mechs have become so rare that the characters mistook said Urbie for an Imp. A game that nearly killed off the BTech franchise for good.

You just can't make up shit like this.

 

[Cael]

Regarding the debate a few pages ago about lights remaining useful, that discussion has kicked off on the PDX forums too (and was a regular on the old forums and since the original design goals for the game were announced) and I saw somewhere that the extra sensor range they had in the beta may be gone now.

Which leaves their advantages as initiative/speed/defense bonus/cost - although only cheaper to repair as operational costs are the same, and given armour is free and you only pay for structural damage more heavily armoured mechs may end up cheaper, depending on how well one plays with the light.

But it's worth remembering the 'Ace Pilot' advanced skill, which allows you to shoot or sensor lock, and then still move afterwards in the same turn. The tactic where one uses reserve to nip in, fire with a light, then go first to escape in the next round is pretty common. But Ace Pilot means you can get in with your Jenner, fire 4 mls into someone's back, do the same next round and still get out. Can see this being used by decent players to be extremely annoying - and effective - in pvp.

Of course, with the paper-thin armour, they just need to get it wrong one turn and a bigger mech or long range specialist could rip them apart, so it does need to be carefully judged.

That only works if you are in a cluttered terrain with lots of blocked LOS. In a situation where you have clear lines of sight, that light is still going to get wrecked because he won't be able to find cover after the move. Same goes if you have overlapping fields of fire from multiple 'mechs. A Jenner, for example, has maximum move of 11. A PPC has a range of 18. You aren't going to get out of range in 1.5 turns of movement and a single PPC shot anywhere on a Jenner is basically good game.

Of course, this is based on the TT. For all I know, they might have made the Jenner move at warp speed (which in HBS-speak means it moves at the pace of a stunned snail because, you know, weeks to get to the sun at faster-than-light velocities) and have enough armour to take on a dozen PPC blasts to the face and laugh it off. All in the name of the balance that they wrecked by changing the rules in the first place.

 

[Jason Liang]

I love the Battletech universe, but the one time I played table top was a horrible experience.

A few years later, the same with MechWarrior: Dark Ages. I spent about $80 in packs, put together a squad, played someone and got methodically destroyed since my little men couldn't even scratch his unique Ryoken, and never picked it up again.

http://www.warrenborn.com/Unit.php?ID=D110

Dark Age... Bwahahahahahaha!

Let me guess, you tried to go up against his Ryoken with a chainsaw wielding AgroMech and got your ass handed to you.

Oh, man. Going up against a customised Ryoken in Dark Age, the game for which they made up the rules for extra low tech civilian 'mechs because they wanted to bring the tech levels down even lower. A game where an Urbie wrecked face in the game manual. A game where 'mechs have become so rare that the characters mistook said Urbie for an Imp. A game that nearly killed off the BTech franchise for good.

You just can't make up shit like this.

I did pull ONE mech out of $80 worth of boosters. It was the shitty Steel Wolves Black Hawk. It turns out the only good piece I pulled was a nice heavy tank. Meh. I'm pretty sure that the store had already scalped the mechs from all the boosters (by opening the heaviest ones).

That Ryoken turned out to be one of the cheapest (in build points) mechs with 23 armor + heavy armor (-2 damage), almost 100 points less than Levin's Jupiter.

And I quit the game since I spent $80 and got ONE piece worth keeping. I don't lose sleep over it. Also because I was hoping the game would be casual and fun but there is no such thing as a casual miniatures war game.

 

[Cael]

I love the Battletech universe, but the one time I played table top was a horrible experience.

A few years later, the same with MechWarrior: Dark Ages. I spent about $80 in packs, put together a squad, played someone and got methodically destroyed since my little men couldn't even scratch his unique Ryoken, and never picked it up again.

http://www.warrenborn.com/Unit.php?ID=D110

Dark Age... Bwahahahahahaha!

Let me guess, you tried to go up against his Ryoken with a chainsaw wielding AgroMech and got your ass handed to you.

Oh, man. Going up against a customised Ryoken in Dark Age, the game for which they made up the rules for extra low tech civilian 'mechs because they wanted to bring the tech levels down even lower. A game where an Urbie wrecked face in the game manual. A game where 'mechs have become so rare that the characters mistook said Urbie for an Imp. A game that nearly killed off the BTech franchise for good.

You just can't make up shit like this.

I did pull ONE mech out of $80 worth of boosters. It was the shitty Steel Wolves Black Hawk. It turns out the only good piece I pulled was a nice heavy tank. Meh. I'm pretty sure that the store had already scalped the mechs from all the boosters (by opening the heaviest ones).

That Ryoken turned out to be one of the cheapest (in build points) mechs with 23 armor + heavy armor (-2 damage), almost 100 points less than Levin's Jupiter.

... You are comparing Magic: the Gathering with BTech as a reason to give up on BTech. I really don't what to say to that kind of mental retardation.

 

[Jason Liang]

Calling them boosters doesn't mean I'm comparing MWDA to Magic dude. That's just what we called them, boosters. Very, very expensive boosters.

 

[Cael]

Calling them boosters doesn't mean I'm comparing MWDA to Magic dude. That's just what we called them, boosters. Very, very expensive boosters.

You have no idea what TT BTech is like, do you? Boosters?

I will just let your comment sit there and show the world the kind of moron that you are.

 

[Jason Liang]

You realize that MWDA was sold in starter and booster packs right?

I'm now actually worried about you. Are you serving a life sentence in prison or something?

 

[Cael]

You realize that MWDA was sold in starter and booster packs right?

I'm now actually worried about you. Are you serving a life sentence in prison or something?

You realise that a card game is not tabletop, right? You know, the one with the ruleset that allows you to make/customise your own 'mechs? The one what has things like TROs and the equivalent of DnD's PHB?

But please, continue to dig your hole deeper. You are hilarious.

"Draw a single 'mech." "All I got were tanks." "He got a customised Ryoken."
- whines of a loser.