I am getting into Battletech in 2024! That’s right! I bought in… Again.
Table of Contents
The 25th Anniversary Introductory Box Set – My Old Collection
I must admit that Catalyst Games Labs has caught my eye for the past 4 years with their new BattleTech miniatures. They are so much better than the figures from the 25th Anniversary Starter Set that I reviewed in June of 2016.
Above is an Atlas that I painted from the 25th Anniversary Edition of BattleTech. Below is the cover art of that Introductory Box Set. This box dates back down to 2011 / 2012.
Every miniature in that box I painted and eventually I sold the set. I sold it because it was a while since I last played. Despite selling the Introductory box, I still eye this game. Especially having seen the new sculpts introduced in 2019. They are really nice!
Time continued to flow, and I have come full circle again. I keep rotating collections of miniatures and with the call of the new minis, I decided that I will be getting into BattleTech in 2024.
My First Steps… Getting into BattleTech in 2024
With the intent of getting into BattleTech, I went to Forbes Hobbies (one of my FLGSs) and made my first Acquistions.
From there, I picked up BattleTech: A game of Armored Combat, the Proliferation Cycle Mechs and Clan Fire Star Mechs. Later, I picked up Clan Invasion from another shop. I also bought a number of BattleTech PDFs from DriveThruRPG.
If you look at the amount of BattleTech content out there, it can be overwhelming. Let me tell you were to start to help make things easier.
Where to Start with BattleTech?
All that you need to start is either the BattleTech Beginner Box (for a simple Introduction to the game) or the BattleTech A Game of Armored Combat Box that I bought. Either of these can get you a taste of the game.
- BattleTech Beginner Box (Check Price on Amazon)
- BattleTech A Game of Armored Combat (Check Price on Amazon)
Many people are happy with just the one or two above boxed sets.
Where to Go Next
If you want to go deeper into the game, there are tons of options available. You can expand upon the game with new mechs, the Clan Invasion box or one of the full rulebooks. The recommended first rulebooks for the “full game” are the BattleMech Manual (if you plan to use just mechs) or BattleTech: Total Warfare if you plan to add other elements like vehicles or infantry to the game).
My First Mech Boxes
Aside from the Starter Set and the Clan Invasion box, I brought home couple boxes of miniatures. I will open and show them to you in a future post. Today I will quickly talk about them instead of giving you a closer look.
The Proliferation Cycle box gives you minis representing all of the first BattleMechs made in the gaming universe. These are the Originals. Some of these mechs require more special rules than what is available in the starter boxes.
In retrospect, One or two boxes of Inner Sphere Lances or Mercenary Packs would have been a better place to start for miniatures as the minis in the proliferation box are more like prototypes to the mechs that most people use today in the game. Regardless, I plan to add these minis to an Inner Sphere Mercenary force.
For those of you who do not know me, when I get into a game, I like to collect two armies right away. I do this in case there is ever an opportunity to play the game with someone who is not a collector.
Below is the second box of mechs I bought. This gives me extra minis for one Clan force and one Inner Sphere force. That’s what I want. Two forces. 🙂
This is the Clan Fire Star. Clan Mechs run in “Stars” of five mechs instead of “Lances” of four. I am happy with this purchase.
What I Want Next – Expanding my Collection
You don’t need many minis to play the base game. Just a handful and a starter box will do.
While I got my first two extra boxes of minis, I want more. I am highly interested in Alpha Strike (which is a streamlined version of the game played without hexes), but it was not currently available at any of my local retailers. I also want to get more miniatures, but they seem to be in short supply locally lately.
I am not sure if you have seen it yet, but there was a Kickstarter that should be bringing new Mercenary products to market. Awesome! They are also going to including vehicles. Amazing!!! I can’t wait to see what is coming related to BattleTech!
Wrapping it up…
BattleTech has been around for about 40 years now. I bought into the game many years ago but rotated it out of my collection. Years later, the minis improved drastically, and I now feel a desire to collect (and eventually paint) a bunch of mechs.
I hope that you will enjoy future posts about that my journey back into BattleTech.
Until next time, Happy Gaming Everyone!!!
