Post by Ironnerd on Jan 5, 2020 22:04:30 GMT
Mechwarrior added a lot to Battletech. From simple things like individual initiative, PIB (Personal Initiative Bonus), UIB (Unit Initiative Bonus), and a new character advancement mechanic, to crazy things like riding camels and owning land.
Back in the 1980's and 1990's, we normally alternated gaming sessions between Battletech and Mechwarrior. This really helped make flesh out the games and our weird little unit. But mostly, characters gained XP a LOT faster in Mechwarrior "Out of Mech"
One striking thing about ME1e is how brutal it is. There are critical hits in the system like, "Ankle Shattered" - not just broken, but freaking shattered. Another favorite is "Spleen Perforated". That's right, your character can get a perforated spleen in this game. It has happened in my games, and is hilarious and somewhat disturbing. Other fun crits are Torn Ligaments, Foot torn off, Internal Bleeding, and Fingers severed. Good luck putting that into a modern game.
As much as I like the rules in Mechwarrior 1st ed, it is a disorganized mess. Once you figure out the logic behind the layout, it's not quite as difficult to locate the rules you need, but you can't really figure that out until you have actually played a couple of games. Still, if it were reorganized, it would still be a pretty good game (by retro-standards).