Post by Ironnerd on Jan 13, 2020 0:39:17 GMT
As dawn broke over the battlefield ...
The helicopters roared over the hill, skimming the tops of,friendly 'Mech antennae. AeroSpace Fighters carrying heavy bomb loads hunted for the enemy airbase. At 1500 hours, the main 'Mech force moved out. The motorized infantry had pulled out about three hours earlier, and the tanks, both tracked and hover, had left an hour ago. At 2000 hours, the hydrofoil assault force skirted the enemy's rear echelon and called for support from the artillery fire base. The battle was joined.
When Battletech came out in 1985, it was something unlike any other game. Sure it's clunky, and mashes together art from three different anime... and then lets low-paid artists in America jack that art up. But insanely, I can take a 'Mech for the 2nd edition book, and play it with the latest rules without any changes. In fact the core rules have changed remarkably little in the last 35 years. I think the only basic rule that has actually changed is "Partial Cover".
Today, players can actually create Ultralight Airplanes, Scooters, and Blimps! There are multiple levels of complexity, and far more equipment than any sane gamer could ever need*. And yet... The game has remained remarkably unchanged. As clunky and weird as the game may be, it works. In fact, it works quite well. It also has a fantastic game universe, that allows for some very nice Role Play (in any of the multiple versions of the RPG).
When I run demos, it's really cool to see Dads, and even a few Grand-Dads look at my table and light up. "Hey! Battletech! I love that game." They sit down, and jump right into the action like they never left the game.
* - note, "need" and "want" ain't the same.
The helicopters roared over the hill, skimming the tops of,friendly 'Mech antennae. AeroSpace Fighters carrying heavy bomb loads hunted for the enemy airbase. At 1500 hours, the main 'Mech force moved out. The motorized infantry had pulled out about three hours earlier, and the tanks, both tracked and hover, had left an hour ago. At 2000 hours, the hydrofoil assault force skirted the enemy's rear echelon and called for support from the artillery fire base. The battle was joined.
When Battletech came out in 1985, it was something unlike any other game. Sure it's clunky, and mashes together art from three different anime... and then lets low-paid artists in America jack that art up. But insanely, I can take a 'Mech for the 2nd edition book, and play it with the latest rules without any changes. In fact the core rules have changed remarkably little in the last 35 years. I think the only basic rule that has actually changed is "Partial Cover".
Today, players can actually create Ultralight Airplanes, Scooters, and Blimps! There are multiple levels of complexity, and far more equipment than any sane gamer could ever need*. And yet... The game has remained remarkably unchanged. As clunky and weird as the game may be, it works. In fact, it works quite well. It also has a fantastic game universe, that allows for some very nice Role Play (in any of the multiple versions of the RPG).
When I run demos, it's really cool to see Dads, and even a few Grand-Dads look at my table and light up. "Hey! Battletech! I love that game." They sit down, and jump right into the action like they never left the game.
* - note, "need" and "want" ain't the same.