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You’ve taken your first steps into the BattleTech world! Played a few Lance vs Lance Introductory Rules games, destroyed a fair number of enemy BattleMechs and lived! Now you’re ready!
If you still need advice on what to by to start playing check out this article:
In this article we will explore how to play games of BattleTech using the Standard Ruleset, how to build forces, how to use Battle Value, how to balance games and how to destroy your enemies/have fun… Like with Part 1, this guide offers suggestions of how to play BattleTech but you can always play in whatever way you want!
Do you wany to play a game?
Playing Battletech
To play any game of BattleTech you must work with your opponent to decide the parameters of how you will play. There are no “Official Tournament Format” or “Official Building Rules” in Battletech, it’s up to you! But, of course, that leads to confusion which is why I’ve put this article together. Just follow the steps below to organise a great game! Some of these steps are suggested, and some are more optional.
Step 1 – Choose the Era
Choosing the era you play in is an important part of deciding which units to allow in your game. There are many different BattleTech eras which are listed below. Some favour Introductory Rules play, while some favour Standards, Advanced or even Experimental rules. Choosing the era is also a part of personal preference. Some people always like to play in Late Succession Wars Eras, while others enjoy the Clan Invasion.
Once you have chosen the era you can then use the Master Unit List to find which units are available in that era. You can even specify a specific Year in which your game takes place e.g. 3052 in the Clan Invasion Era. The Master Unit list tells you the introductory date of each BattleMech, so you can decide which are available. If you don’t want to define a specific year, then just consider your game to take place at the end of that era.
Star League (2571-2780)
The League flourishes under the rule of the First Lords for two hundred years. Technology advances at a prodigious speed and billions enjoy peace and prosperity. Yet a darkness grows within the realm and Ian Cameron’s original sin bears fruit as the Periphery nations rise in revolt.
[This era mostly uses the Standard Rules Equipment]
Early Succession War (2781-2900)
Minoru Kurita of the Draconis Combine declares himself the new First Lord of the Star League, sparking the First Succession War and drawing all of the Great Houses into conflict. Massive loss of life and technology ensues, due to the liberal use of weapons of mass destruction by all powers. Though the war ends with an uneasy truce, a Second Succession War begins less than a decade later and leads to even more destruction.
[This era mostly uses the Standard Rules Equipment – but due to the horrors of war and indiscriminate use of Nuukes and Orbital Bombardments many technologies are becoming extinct. During this period the forces from the StarLeague Exodus Fleet are fighting the Pentagon Civil Wars and, then forming the clans before launching Operation Klondike. After this, new Experimental Technology prototypes for improvements to Star League equipment started, and the first Clan Tech weapons and OmniMechs appear. This time becomes known as the Golden Century in Clan Space, but also leads to the destruction of Clan Wolverine, Clan Widowmaker and Clan Mogoose]
Late Succession War – LosTech (2901-3019)
By this time, the Second Succession War and the beginnings of the Third have reduced most of the advanced technology of the Star League to the status of ’lostech”. The Third war begins with a Draconis Combine attack on the Lyran Commonwealth but soon descends into two hundred years of low-level and constant warfare as the Great Houses suffer the consequences of their folly.
[By this period, very few examples of Standard Rules equipment exist. Most equipment and units are Introductory Technology. In the Clan homeworlds, the Clans continue to produce Clan Tech weaponry and OmniMechs in what becomes known as the Political Century]
Late Succession War – Renaissance (3020-3049)
In the early 31st century the Grey Death Legion discovers the Helm memory core and kickstarts the rediscovery of many lost technologies. In secret Hanse Davion and Katrina Steiner sign the FedCom Accords, a secret pact to join the Federated Suns and Lyran Commonwealth. Using his marriage to Melissa Steiner as cover, Hanse Davion begins the Fourth Succession War by launching a massive invasion against his enemies. The war ends with Davion capturing half of the Capellan Confederation and securing a vital link to the Commonwealth, but fails to defeat the Draconis Combine.
[During this period technology is still mostly Introductory Rules, but after the War of 3039 new Experimental Technologies based on Star League extinct technology are being introduced]
Clan Invasion (3050-3061)
A mysterious invading force strikes the coreward region of the Inner Sphere. The invaders, called the Clans, are descendants of Kerensky’s SLDF troops, forged into a society dedicated to becoming the greatest fighting force in history. With vastly superior technology and warriors, the Clans conquer world after world. Eventually this outside threat will forge a new Star League, something hundreds of years of warfare failed to accomplish. In addition, the Clans will act as a catalyst for a technological renaissance.
[This is the most common era for Standard Technology games. During the period the InnerSphere have reintroduced all of the Standard Level Technologies once found in the StarLeague, but upgrading units is a slow process and so many units are still Introductory technology or have only partial upgrades. Also during this period, the Clans arrive with their much more sophisticated Clan Technology. Towards the end of the period, new Standard Technologies (e.g ATM’s, HAG’s) and Advanced Technologies begin to appear. At the very end of this era, as the Second Star League is formed and destroys Clan Smoke Jaguar, the first ProtoMechs are introduced.]
Civil War (3062-3067)
The Clan threat is eventually lessened with the complete destruction of a Clan. With that massive external threat apparently neutralized, internal conflicts explode around the Inner Sphere. House Liao conquers its former Commonality, the St. Ives Compact; a rebellion of military units belonging to House Kurita sparks a war with their powerful border enemy, Clan Ghost Bear; the fabulously powerful Federated Commonwealth of House Steiner and House Davion collapses into five long years of bitter civil war.
[This is the second most common era for Standard Technology games. By this time period, almost all Inner Sphere units have Standard Level technology, and some have Advanced Level Technologies. Due to salvage, many Inner Sphere forces start to make use of Clan Technology and BattleMechs. The Clans continue to develop more Advanced Level Technologies, but begin to suffer from their combat losses and start to field older Second Line non-OmniMech BattleMech designs in front line combat units.]
Jihad (3068-3080)
Following the Federated Commonwealth Civil War, the leaders of the Great Houses meet and disband the new Star League, declaring it a sham. The pseudo-religious Word of Blake—a splinter group of ComStar, the protectors and controllers of interstellar communication—launch the Jihad: an interstellar war that will ultimately pit every faction against each other and even against themselves, as weapons of mass destruction are used for the first time in centuries while new and frightening technologies are likewise unleashed.
[As destruction rains down over the InnerSphere new Advanced and Experimental Technologies appear – but at the same time, due to the mass destruction of factories, old Introductory Level Technology units are re-introduced. At the same time as the Jihad occurs in the InnerSphere, the War of Reaving starts in the Clan Homeworlds. The Society brings to play brand new Advanced Technologies, and Clan Technology as a whole degrades and much equipment is destroyed. Clans start to turn to simpler Non-OmniMech designs, and Second Line BattleMechs become more commonly used.]
Early Republic (3081-3100)
Stone’s Republic leads the way into peace and prosperity in the aftermath of the Jihad. Conflicts still occur, but they are small in scale and the massive wars of the past are not seen.
[Due to Devlin Stones Swords to Ploughshares policy, many BattleMechs are decommissioned. Forces using infantry, vehicles and repurposed industrial and agricultural AgroMechs become more common, but at the same time the Republic of the Sphere continues to develop Advanced and Experimental Technologies, many based on former Word of Blake plans]
Late Republic (3101-3130)
The tides of war rise higher. Sun-Tzu Liao and his son, Daoshen, embark on a campaign of coordinated violence to reclaim their former worlds seized by the Republic. Other conflicts begin to boil over with pockets of fighting in all corners of the Inner Sphere and Periphery. The Second Combine-Dominion War was only the first of many conflicts during this period–the Victoria War, territorial strife between former members of the Free Worlds League, rebellion in the Marian Hegemony, and the ever-present threat of the Clans expanding their occupation zones all conspired to leave Stone’s carefully crafted era of peace rent and sundered.
[BattleMechs become more common again as forces build, but combined arms operations are still common]
Dark Ages (3131-3150)
Two years after Stone’s disappearance, the communications network goes dark. Capitalizing on the confusion, the Great Houses begin taking back the worlds they once gave to the Republic as long-standing hatreds spark to life once more.
[BattleMechs begin to field many more Advanced Technologies. Clan Technology is much more commonly seen in InnerSphere forces (mainly due to Clan Sea Fox selling them at a discount. New Advanced Technologies such are the Ares Super Heavy BattleMech appear.]
ilClan (3151-9999)
Clan Wolf has conquered Terra. What will follow? Time will tell.
[This period of time also includes the rise of smaller factions such as the Tamar Pact. Older BattleMech designs are retooled using Advanced Equipment]
Step 2 – Choose a Rules Set
Beginners (Quick Start) Rules
Rulebooks: BattleTech Beginners Box
This is a very cut down, simplified ruleset design for players who are very new to gaming and is ideal for younger players under 12. It uses special simplified record sheets which can be found in the Beginners Box and also removes/ignores some of the Introductory rules including:
Internal Structure Damage, Heat, Critical Hits, Minimum Range, Physical Attacks, Pilot Skill Checks, Firing Arcs.
It’s a quick and easy way to play but is mostly only seen in beginner’s games. Most players either start with or move quickly on to the Introductory Rule Set.
Introductory Rules
Rule Book: BattleTech A Game of Armour Combat Box
This ruleset uses the same gameplay rules as the Standard Ruleset (in BMM and TW) but doesn’t include more complex equipment. This ruleset is also often played in the Late Succession Wars – Lostech and Late Succession Wars – Renaissance Eras (see below), although Introductory Technology BattleMechs can be used in any era and often are by C-bill strapped mercenaries!
BattleMechs are considered to be part of the Introductory Rules if they have the following equipment. [Note that some of the BattleMechs in the Technical Readout Succession Wars include Technologies that are not in the Introductory Rules].
| Introductory Rules Equipment |
| Auto-cannons (AC/2/5/10/20) [DB, Direct Ballistic] |
| Machine Guns [DB, Direct Ballistic] |
| Small/Medium/Large Lasers (SL/ML/LL) [E, Energy] |
| Particle Projection Cannon (PPC) [E, Energy] |
| Flamers [E, Energy] |
| Short-Range Missiles (SRM2/4/6) [M, Missile, C, Cluster] |
| Long-Range Missiles (LRM5/10/15/20) [M, Missile, C, Cluster] |
| Hatchet [Physical] |
| Standard Armor/Standard Internal Structure/Standard Engines |
Standard Rules
Rule Books: BattleMech Manual OR Total Warfare OR Clan Invasion Box (OPTIONAL: TechManual)
The Standard Ruleset is the typical way most often play BattleTech. The Standard Rules Set is very easily defined – if it’s in the Total Warfare book it’s Standard Rules. This included rules for BattleMechs, Standard Rules equipment (from the Clan Invasion and Civil Ware eras), Infantry/Battle Armour, Combat Vehicles, ProtoMechs, Buildings as well as full AeroSpace rules. The Total Warfare book also includes useful resources for the time period from 3050-3067, the most common eras in which the Standard Ruleset is used.
| FAQ: What is AeroSpace? AeroSpace is a set of rules used to play Conventional (Atmospheric Only) Aircraft, AeroSpace Fighters (which can operate in space and in the atmosphere) and DropShips (that are used to carry cargo including BattleMechs from JumpShips to planets). The AeroSpace Ruleset can be played as a separate game in Space, or can be played alongside ground-based BattleTech. The rules for AeroSpace are however complex and require a good understanding of all the rules before they can be used effectively. It is well worth avoiding the use of AeroSpace rules until you are very comfortable with the Standard Ruleset. |
The BattleMech Manual is also considered Standard Rules, and is identical in content to Total Warfare but only covers the rules for BattleMechs. In addition to this it also includes a number of optional rules also found in Tactical operations Advanced Rules and BattleField Support Points which I’ll cover later. The BattleMech Manual also includes Quirks which is an Advanced Rules found in Campaign Operations.
The Clan Invasion Box set is a good way to get into the Standard Rules as it includes a limited number of new rules for Standard Rules equipment from the Clan Invasion era and rules for Elemental Battle Armour which are also found in Total Warfare. The Clan Invasion Box also includes Formations which is an Advanced Rules found in Campaign Operations.
[OPTIONAL: TechManual. This rule book covers the full rules on construction units and calculate their BattleValue (in BattleTech A Game of Armored Combat and Clan Invasion there were a set of simplified construction rules which did not include how to calculate BattleValues). It also included a large amount of background lore on equipment. It is not, however, essential for Standard Rules gameplay.]
Advanced Rules
Rule Books: Tactical Operations (Advanced Rules), Tactical Operations (Advanced Units and Equipment), Strategic Operations (Aerospace), Campaign Operations.
Beyond the Standard Ruleset there are a myriad of extra optional roles for Movement, Combat, Unit Construction, Artillery, AeroSpace (Including WarShips), Special Pilot Abilities and more… this will be the subject of the next article. Advanced Rules can be used alongside Standard Rules in any era, but during later era Advanced Equipment becomes more common.
Experimental Rules
Rule Books: Interstellar Operations (Alternate Eras)
Alongside Interstellar Operations (BattleForce), which is a completely different way to play BattleTech, Interstellar Operations (Alternate Eras) introduces new Experimental technologies and rules for the different BattleTech eras.
What counts as experimental is different in each era e.g.:
In the Early Clan era (The Golden Centruy): there are new experimental versions of Gauss Rifles, ER PPCS and other weapons which are better than the InnerSpeher versions but not quite as good as the full Clan versions yet.
In the 3039-49 era (also known as the War of 3039) new technologies based on the Helm Memory Core were discovered by the Grey Death Legion such as Prototype Medium Pulse Lasers (X-MPL), start to be produced.
In the Jihad era – fearsome new cybernetic enhancements are introduced for the World of Blake Manei Domeni Shadow Divisions…
These will also be the subject of later articles.
Step 3 – Choose a Faction and Technology Level
The number of factions in BattleTech is huge, which each faction favouring slightly different BattleMech Variants and even unique designs. To determine the units available to each faction just follow these steps:
Go to http://www.masterunitlist.info
Click on Era and choose your era.
Click on the Faction you want to play. The factions available will change with each era e.g after 3062 Clan Smoke Jaguar no longer exists, and the Republic of the Sphere only comes into existence in the Early Republic Era.
If you don’t feel like you want to be bound by a particular faction then you can always just choose Mercenary.
Each faction will have access to units with different Technology bases, either InnerSphere Technology or Clan Technology. In later Eras, there are also units that have a Mixed Technology (Either Clan [Mixed] or InnerSphere [Mixed]). As the era gets later in the timeline you will notice that the InnerSphere gains more access to Clan Tech units. You may want to when playing define how many Clan Technology units are allowed in each force. From a lore perspective, this depends on the year e.g. in 3050 no InnerSphere force had Clan Tech…. except Wolf’s Dragoons…. but by 3062 Clan Tech was more common due to Salvage. Also, the Successor States that fought the Clans had more access to Salvage e.g. the Federated Suns and Draconis Combine, compared to the Capellan Confederation and Taurian Concordat who didn’t fight the Clans at all in the early Clan Invasion. The reverse can also be true, Clans can sometimes collect and make use of InnerSphere Isorla units, but this is very uncommon as Clans view them as inferior to Clan Tech.
| FAQ: Do I have to stay true to factions when choosing units? As we’ve mentioned before, how you play BattleTech is up to you! You may choose to play completely within the historical lore or to be more flexible. One option to allow more flexible unit choices is to allow 1 or more Salvage units (or as the Clans call it Isorla). This way players can pick most of their units from their MUL but choose 1 or more from another faction’s MUL. Of course, you may not want to bother with factions at all and just go with Free Play in which case just choose any BattleMechs you want with either InnerSphere or Clan Technologies. You may also choose to allow only InnerSphere Technology or Clan Technology or both! FAQ: What are RAT’s? RAT stands for Random Assignment Table. These are found in many source books and can be used in two ways. They can be used simply as a list for you to choose your force from (as opposed to using the online MUL), or you can use them to randomly “roll-up” a force. You can even randomly roll-up the skills of your MechWarriors using the tables found in Total Warfare. |
Step 4 – Define Force Size and Composition
In Standard Ruleset games, the most common way to balance games is to use the BattleValue system. Both players are assigned the same BattleValue to spend and can use this to buy units (and purchase them at different skill levels). One issue with this is that if you allow players to choose any number of units are select any level of skills the game can quickly become unbalanced as one player could select literally hundreds of cheap BV units (such as the 205 BV 5 Ton Savannah Master Hovercraft). This is why it is best to give guidelines to the force composition and the number and skill levels of each force.
| FAQ: Can I use my own custom designs of units? This is often an area of contention in Battletech. The “canon” BattleMechs (and other units) in Technical Readouts are not designed or intended to be optimised for gameplay (or min/maxed). They often have flaws and can certainly be improved upon. When playing you may decide to allow players to “Upgrade” units. A common upgrade is to alter the weapons on the unit (like you can in MechWarrior 5 or HBS BattleTech) or you could replace some InnerSphere weapons with Clan Tech salvage. One issue with this is you will need to use either the Tech Manual or a program like MegaMekLab (www.megamek.org) to recalculate the new BV. You may also make a unit completely from scratch using the construction rules in BTAGOAC/ Clan Invasion or Tech Manual. The only issue with this is these units may be far more optimised and effective than the “canon” units in the game. You can use MegaMekLab to deisgn BattleMechs from sratch. As always it’s up to you, but take care to keep the game balanced and fun! |
Before deciding on force compositions you should decide on what types of units you which to allow. I have ranked the units below in terms of gameplay complexity from easiest (top) to most difficult (bottom). BattleTech is of course a game based on BattleMechs, but you can always have forces built of just Vehicles and Infantry!
| Unit Type |
| BattleMechs |
| Combat Vehicles and Support Vehicles |
| Infantry and Battle Armour |
| ProtoMechs |
| Gun Emplacements [Advanced Rules Only] |
| AeroSpace (Dropships, Conventional Fighters and AeroSpace Fighters) |
| SuperHeavy Mechs, QuadVees and Mobile Structures [Advanced Rules Only] |
| WarShips and Jumpships [Advanced Rules Only] |
Force Size and Composition
The blow table gives you an idea of the Total BV (Both for Introductory Level and Standard Level) and advice for the common composition of forces.
In Inner Sphere vs Inner Sphere games or for Clan vs Clan games it might be desirable to try and have exactly the same number of units available on each side but it is often the case that in a BV balanced battle of Inner Spsher vs Clans, Inner Sphere BattleMechs will outnumber Clan BattleMechs by a 2.5/1 ratio as Clan Technology is more expensive and Clan MechWarriors are better trained. Clan forces can offset this more by using Battle Armour to slightly even up the numbers but are still often outnumbered.
| Force Type | Force BV (Introductory / Standard) | Total Number of BattleMechs OR Combat Vehicles OR ProtoMech Stars (Clan Tech Only) | Total Number of Infantry Platoons OR Battle Armour Squads | Suggested number of map sheets | Suggested Time |
| Duel | 1250 / 1500 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 45 minutes |
| Skirmish | 2500 / 3000 | 1-3 | 0-2 | 1 | 1-2 hours |
| Inner Sphere Light Lance Clan Partial Light Star ComStar Mixed Light Level II | 3500 / 4500 | 3-6 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 2-3 hours |
| Inner Sphere Medium Lance Clan Partial OR Light Star ComStar Mixed Level II | 5000 / 6000 | 3-6 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 2-3 hours |
| Inner Sphere Heavy Lance Clan Partial OR Medium Star ComStar Heavy Level II | 6500 / 7500 | 3-6 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 2-3 hours |
| Inner Sphere Assault Lance Clan Partial OR Medium Star ComStar Heavy Level II | 8000 / 9000 | 3-6 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 2-3 hours |
| InnerSphere Two Lances Clan Medium Star ComStar 1-2 Level II’s | 10000 / 12000 | 4-10 | 0-4 | 2-4 | 3-4 hours |
| InnerSphere Company Clan Heavy Star/Medium Nova/Light Binary ComStar 2-3 Level II’s | 15000 / 18000 | 5-12 | 0-6 | 4-6 | 6-8 hours |
| InnerSphere Reinforced Company Clan Assault Star/Heavy Nova/Medium Binary ComStar 3-4 Level II’s | 20000 / 24000 | 6-16 | 0-8 | 4-6 | 6-8 hours |
| FAQ: Do I have to field units in Lances/Stars/Level II’s? The organisation of forces into formation types is completely up to you. You may decide to follow the lore, or take a more open approach. You may allow players to field incomplete or partial formations. Generally, forces are fielded in the following formations: Inner Sphere Lances – 4 BattleMechs AND/OR Combat Vehicles. 0-2 Infantry/Battle Armour Squads Inner Sphere Company (3 Lances) – 12 BattleMechs AND/OR Combat Vehicles. 0-4 Infantry/Battle Armour Squads Inner Sphere Reinforced Company (4 Lances) – 16 BattleMechs AND/OR Combat Vehicles. 0-8 Infantry/Battle Armour Squads. Clan Stars – 5 BattleMechs Clan Novas – 5 BattleMechs + 5 points (squads of 5) Elemental Battle Armour ComStar Level II – 6 x Level 1’s (a Level 1 is a BattleMech, Vehicle, Squad of Battle Armour or Platoon of Infantry) For full details of the formation types used by each faction consult the Total Warfare RuleBook pg 34-35. |
Unit Training and Skills
As well as limiting the maximum number and type of units on each side, it is also a very good idea to limit the skill choices available for each force. If you allow unlimited choices of skills it can lead to game balance issues.
It is always recommended that there be a difference of no more than 2 between Gunnery and Piloting Skills.
Inner Sphere/Comstar Forces
- Inner Sphere/ComStar Regular forces tend to have most of their units at a Regular Level of training (G4/P5)
- 1 in 4 may be Green recruits/cadets (G5/P6).
- 1 in 4 units might have a Veteran Level of training (G3/P4) (e.g. a Lance Lieutenant)
- 1 in 12 units might have an Elite level of training (G2/P3) (e.g. a Company Captain).
- Conventional Infantry have a Regular Level of Training with Gunnery 4/AntiMech 5 (or AntiMech 8 if they have no AntiMech Kits)
- InnerSphere BattleArmour has a Regular Level of Training with Gunnery 4/AntiMech 5.
- An InnerSphere Veteran force would have the same pattern as above only with all of the skills reduced by 1.
Clan Forces
Front line Clan forces consist of OmniMechs piloted by Trueborn (genetically engineered) warriors with a skill level of at least Veteran (e.g. G3/P4).
- Clan Elementals also have a base training of Veteran (Gunnery 3/AntiMech 4).
- Star/Nova forces might have an Elite Level of Training (G2/P3) (Star Commander)
- Cluster/TrinaryBinary forces might have a Legendary Level of Training (G1/P2). (Star Captain)
- Clan Second Line Mechs are often piloted by MechWarriors who have barely passed their Trial of Position and might be Regular (G4/P5) – although Second Line formations often contain very experienced MechWarriors who have been declared Sohlama, or too old for duty.
- Vehicle crews are often the lowest of the low having failed their trial of position and are green (G5/P6).
- Infantry are often poorly trained with a Green level of training, Gunnery 5/AntiMech 6 (or AntiMech 8 if they have no AntiMech Kits)
- Clan Elite forces follow the same pattern as above only with all skills reduced by 1.
The table below shows all the skill combinations possible at each level of training.
| Training Level | Gunnery/ Piloting | Gunnery/ Piloting | Gunnery/ Piloting | Gunnery/ Piloting | Gunnery/ Piloting |
| Civilian | 8/8 | 7/8 | |||
| Very Green | 8/7 | 8/6 | 7/7 | 6/7 | 6/8 |
| Green | 8/6 | 7/6 | 6/6 | 5/6 | 5/7 |
| Regular | 7/5 | 6/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 4/6 |
| Veteran | 6/4 | 5/4 | 4/4 | 3/4 | 3/5 |
| Elite | 5/3 | 4/3 | 3/3 | 2/3 | 2/4 |
| Heroic | 4/2 | 3/2 | 2/2 | 1/2 | 1/3 |
| Legendary | 3/1 | 2/1 | 1/1 (0/0) | 0/1 | 0/2 |
To find the BV cost of a unit simply find the base cost for that unit on the Master Unit List and multiply it by the BV Skill Multiplier shown in the below table.
Infantry has special rules in regard to BV cost and Skill Multipliers.
- Mechanised and Motorised Infantry have no AntiMech Skill so instead set this skill to a fixed nominal value of 5 for looking up BV Skill Multiplier.
- Foot and Jump infantry without AntiMech kits have an AntiMech skill fixed at 8. If the Foot or Jump Infantry have an AntiMech Kit they may have any AntiMech Skill.
- For Battle Armour, the Master Unit List’s BV Value given assumes there are 4 units (an InnerSphere Lance). To find the BV cost for 5 or 6 units you must: Divide by 5.2 (to find the cost for 1 suit) and x 7.0 (for squads of 5/Clan Points) or x 9.0 (for squads of 6/ComStar Level I) [Tech Manual Page 316].
Example Lance v Lance BV
This shows the two teams from the Introductory Rules BTAGOAC box using 5000 BV and BV Skill Multipliers.
| Team A | MechWarrior (Skill) | BV |
| Commando COM-2D | Eudocia Papoutsis (4/5) | 541 |
| Wolverine WVR-6R | Lt. Dara Tickner (3/4) (Veteran) | 1453 |
| Thunderbolt TDR-5S | Vimala Sarika (4/5) | 1335 |
| Awesome AWS-8Q | Minna Dumoulin (4/5) | 1605 |
| Total | 4934 | |
| Team B | MechWarrior | BV |
| Locust LCT-1E | Zdenka Melicharov (4/5) | 553 |
| Shadow Hawk SHD-2H | Katherina de Koning (4/5) | 1064 |
| Catapult CPLT-C1 | Lt. Zarina Kwasi (3/4) (Veteran) | 1857 |
| BattleMaster BLR-1G | Linda Kavli (4/5) | 1519 |
| Total | 4993 |
| FAQ: How do I build a force? There are a few tools and options available to help you build a force. The first option is either the simple pen and paper approach, or using a simple spreadsheet can be useful. You can also make use of the Force Builder on the Master Unit List web site. At present, the MUL does not calculate Battle Armor Squad BV correctly as it only shows Squads containing 4 troopers (whereas Clan Elementals have 5 troopers) Alternatively, you could make use of the MegaMek software available at http://www.megamek.org and check out this video tutorial |
Special Munitions (Optional)
The Introductory Rules set include all standard munitions for Auto-Cannons, Machine Guns, SRMs and LRMs.
Under the Standard Ruleset, several new Ballistic and Missile weapon systems are introduced including Light Auto-Cannons (LAC), Ultra Auto-Cannons (UAC), LB-X Auto-Cannons (LB-X-AC), Gauss Rifle, Hypervelocity Assault Gauss Rifle (HAG), Narc Pods, Streak Short-Range Missiles (SSRMs), Medium-Range Missiles (MRM’s), Multi-Missile Launchers (MML), Advanced Missile Launchers (ATM’s).
Alongside these new weapons, there are also new ammunition types. Each of these ammunition types is introduced after a particular year.
For more information on the availability of ammunition types and weapon systems see TechManual Pg 290. You can also find tables of availability in MegaMekLab.
Alternatively, you may just decide to allow all the ammunition types in the Standard Ruleset (in Total Warfare).
| Ammunition | Weapons | Rules Level | Production | Extinct | Reintroduction | Common | ||||
| IS | Clan | IS | Clan | IS | Clan | IS | Clan | |||
| Armour Piercing | AC/LAC | Standard | 3059 (FS) | NA | NA | NA | 3063 | NA | ||
| Flechette | AC/LAC | Standard | 3055 (FS) | NA | NA | NA | 3058 | NA | ||
| Pecision | AC/LAC | Standard | 3062 (FA) | NA | NA | NA | 3066 | NA | ||
| ER Missles | ATM | Standard | NA | 3054 (CSA) | NA | NA | NA | |||
| HE Missiles | ATM | Standard | NA | 3054 (CSY) | NA | NA | NA | |||
| Artemis-Capable | LRM/SRM/MML | Standard | 2598 (TH) | 2599 (TH) | 2855 | 3035 (FW) | 3045 | |||
| Artimus V Capable | LRM/SRM/MML | Standard | NA | 3061 | ||||||
| Fragmentation | LRM/SRM/MML | Standard | 2385 (TH) | 2386 (TH) | 2810 | 3050 (FW) | 3058 | |||
| Harpoon | SRM | Standard | 2400 (LC) | 2401 (LC) | ||||||
| Incendary | LRM | Standard | 3053 (FW) | NA | NA | NA | NA | |||
| Inferno | SRM | Standard | 2380 (TC) | 2381 (TC) | ||||||
| Semi-guided | LRM | Standard | 3057 (FW) | NA | NA | NA | 3065 | NA | ||
| Swarm | LRM | Standard | 2621 (TH) | 2622 (TH) | 2810 | 3053 (FC) | ||||
| Swarm-I | LRM | Standard | 3057 (FW) | NA | NA | NA | NA | |||
| Torpedo | LRM/SRM/MML | Standard | 2380 (TH) | 2380 (TH) | ||||||
| Narc-Capable | LRM/SRM/MML | Standard | 2597 (TH) | 2597 (TH) | 2795 | 3035 (FW) | 3049 | |||
| Narc Missile Beacon – Homing | Narc Beacon Launcer | Standard | 2587 (TH) | 2588 (TH) | 2795 | 3035 (FW) | ||||
| Narc Missile Beacon – Explosive | Narc Beacon Launcer | Standard | 3060 (DC) | NA | NA | NA | NA | |||
| iNarc Missile Beacon – Homing | iNarc Beacon Launcher | Standard | 3062 (CS) | NA | NA | NA | NA | |||
| iNarc Missile Beacon – ECM | iNarc Beacon Launcher | Standard | 3063 (CS) | NA | NA | NA | NA | |||
| iNarc Missile Beacon – Explosive | iNarc Beacon Launcher | Standard | 3064 (CS) | NA | NA | NA | NA | |||
| iNarc Missile Beacon – Haywire | iNarc Beacon Launcher | Standard | 3065 (CS) | NA | NA | NA | NA | |||
| iNarc Missile Beacon – Nemesis | iNarc Beacon Launcher | Standard | 3066 (CS) | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| FAQ: How do I calculate the BV costs of Semi-Guided Missiles/TAG and C3 Computers Semi-Guided Missiles alongside Target Acquisition Gear (TAG) and C3 computer systems are both part of the Standand Ruleset but require rules from the Tech Manual to calculate their BV cost Pp 315. Target Acquisition Gear (TAG) – (Recent Clarrification) Any unit in the battle force equipped with TAG, Light TAG or a C3 Master Computer adds BV equal to the BV of each ton of semi-guided LRM ammunition carried in the force (use the ammo BV for the appropriate-size LRM launcher). Units whose only such piece of equipment is rear-mounted add half the BV instead. Semi-guided LRM BV Cost per ton LRM-5 6 BV LRM-10 11 BV RLM-15 17 BV LRM-20 23 BV e.g. A force has a total of 2 tons of LRM-5 semi-guided ammo and 4 tons of LRM-20. Added together (2×6) + (4×20) = 96 BV. This BV cost is then added to each BattleMech/Unit per TAG they carry. |
MechWarrior Cards and Special Pilot Abilities (Optional)
The new Catalyst Games Labs Force Packs as well as the BTAGOAC and Clan Invasion boxes now include special MechWarrior Cards. These “unique” MechWarriors have one or more Special Pilot Abilities (which is an Advanced Level rule from Campaign Operations). You may wish to allow 1 or more of these “Unique” MechWarriors, as long as you balance their total Special Pilot Ability (SPA) points on their cards between each side.
Formation Types (Optional)
This optional rule allows you to designate formations as a particular type e.g. Brawler Lance and get some additional abilities. Originally this was an Advanced Level rule from Campaign Operations but has also been included in the Clan Invasion Box pg. 41.
Step 5 – Decide on any Optional Rules
The BattleMech Manual included several optional rules which you may find to improve gameplay.
- Sprinting (Optional) [BMM pg 14]
- Backwards Level Changes (Optional) [BMM pg 15]
- Partially Occupied Hexes (Optional) [BMM Pg 16]
- Careful Stand (Optional) [BMM pg 19]
- Expanded Arm Flipping (Optional) [BMM pg 25]
- One-Armed Prone Fire (Optional) [BMM pg 30]
- Floating Criticals [BMM pg 45]
- Engine Explosions (Optional) [BMM pg 47]
- Expanded Damage Modifiers (Optional) [BMM pg 53]
- Forced Withdrawal and Broken Morale (Simplified Optional) [BMM pg 81]
Floating Criticals and Backwards Level Changes are the two most common and popular optional rules to add.
Design Quirks (Optional)
Originally an Advance Rule from Campaign Operations, this rule also appears in the BattleMech Manual (pg. 82). Each BattleMech has a set of quirks that can affect gameplay (although some only affect larger campaign play). Design Quirks are more lore-based rather than gameplay base, so are not always very well balanced.
BattleField Support Points (Optional)
The BattleMech Manual (pg 75) includes a simplified set of rules to simulate minefields, aerospace and artillery. These are quick and easy to use (especially if you have the Battle Field Support Card Deck.)
If you choose to use these a commended number would be as follows:
| Force Size | BSP’s |
| Inner Sphere Lance Clan Partial OR Light Star ComStar Mixed Level II | 4 |
| InnerSphere Two Lances Clan Medium Star ComStar 2 x Level II | 8 |
| InnerSphere Company Clan Heavy Star/Nova ComStar 3 x Level II’s | 12 |
| InnerSphere Reinforced Company Clan Assault Star Star/Binary/Nova ComStar 4 x Level II’s | 16 |
Step 6 – Choosing a Scenario
You may wish to keep things simple and bloody and just go for a kill or be killed scenario where the winner is the player with the highest BV left (and not in Forced Withdrawal or Destroyed), but military operations are not always about just destroying the enemy.
The BattleMech Manual includes many interesting additions to rules for making Scenarios from different terrain to simplified Combat Drops from orbit!
If one or both of the forces in the game is Clan, then you may decide to use the Clan Honor system found in Total Warfare and the Clan Invasion Box.
There are many ideas for Scenarios in the Total Warfare RoleBook, BTAGOAC and Clan Invasion box as well as other supplements.
You can also check out a list of Scenarios here:
A Chaos Campaign Guide to Tracks
| FAQ: What are house rules? House rules are those rules made up or altered by players from those in the Rule Books. One common house rule for larger games is in managing the Weapons Phase. Declare/Fire/Resolve: In initiative order (as per movement) each player may designate their units in the Weapon Attack OR Physical Attack phase to declare their targets (Primary/Secondary), declare weapons used, resolve the attack all as one action. |
Example Force building
Andery and Nicholas have decided to play a game of BattleTech.
STEP 1 – They decide to play in the Clan Invasion Era (3050-3061) but don’t feel it’s necessary to choose a particular year.
STEP 2 – They also decide to use the Standard Rules set. They don’t have a copy of Total Warefare or BattleMech Manual yet, but they do have the BTAGOAC and Clan Invasion Box Set.
STEP 3 – Andery decides to play a force from the Federated Suns, while Nicholas decides to play a force from Clan Jade Falcon.
STEP 4 – Andery and Nicholas decide to play a company-sized game with 18,000 BV. They decide to allow BattleMechs and Elemental Battle Armor as those are the rules they have available (but no Infantry, Vehicles or Aerospace). They also decide to use the formation rules in the Clan Invasion Box.
Andery builds the following force using the BattleMechs from BTAGOAC and the Inner Sphere Command Force Pack.
| Unit | Config | Tons | MechWarrior | Skill | BV | Formation |
| Awesome | AWS-9Q | 80 | Captain Resit Rüstü (Elite) | Gunnery / Piloting: 2/3 | 2888 | Command Lance |
| Catapult | CPLT-C4C | 65 | Lt Cleopatra Delivorias | Gunnery / Piloting: 3/4 | 1913 | Command Lance |
| Wolverine | WVR-7D | 55 | Adaira Davis | Gunnery / Piloting: 4/5 | 1314 | Command Lance |
| Commando | COM-5S | 25 | Guo-xiu Mi | Gunnery / Piloting: 4/5 | 557 | Command Lance |
| BattleMaster | BLR-3M | 85 | Lt Naoaki Tanaka (Veteran) | Gunnery / Piloting: 3/4 | 2216 | Battle Lance |
| Thunderbolt | TDR-9SE | 65 | Aileana MacVenish | Gunnery / Piloting: 4/5 | 1439 | Battle Lance |
| Shadow Hawk | SHD-5M | 55 | Tom Gazzard | Gunnery / Piloting: 4/5 | 1430 | Battle Lance |
| Locust | LCT-3M | 20 | Bill Watson | Gunnery / Piloting: 4/5 | 522 | Battle Lance |
| Marauder | MAD-5S | 75 | Pafnutiy Vnorovsky | Gunnery / Piloting: 4/5 | 1799 | Fire Lance |
| Archer | ARC-5S | 70 | Lt Young-jong Keith (Veteran) | Gunnery / Piloting: 3/4 | 2210 | Fire Lance |
| Valkyrie | VLK-QD | 30 | Dorthy Aleshkovsky | Gunnery / Piloting: 4/5 | 807 | Fire Lance |
| Stinger | STG-5M | 20 | Bessie Blonke | Gunnery / Piloting: 4/5 | 432 | Fire Lance |
| Total | 17,790 |
Nicholas builds the following force using the BattleMechs from Clan Invasion box and the Clan Elemental Force Pack.
| Unit | Config | Tons | MechWarrior | Skill | BV | Formation |
| Gladiator (Executioner) | Prime | 95 | Star Commander Wai-Fah | Gunnery / Piloting: 3/4 | 3629 | Battle Nova |
| Mad Cat (Timber Wolf) | Prime | 75 | Tung-chi | Gunnery / Piloting: 3/4 | 3613 | Battle Nova |
| Black Hawk (Nova) | Prime | 50 | Galang | Gunnery / Piloting: 3/4 | 3515 | Battle Nova |
| Grendel (Mongrel) | Prime | 45 | Ailisa | Gunnery / Piloting: 3/4 | 3023 | Battle Nova |
| Puma (Adder) | Prime | 35 | Jong-your | Gunnery / Piloting: 3/4 | 2750 | Battle Nova |
| Elemental Battle Armor | [Laser] | 5 | Star Commander Dae | Gunnery / Anti-Mek: 2/3 | 751 | Battle Nova |
| Elemental Battle Armor | [Laser] | 5 | Keitorin | Gunnery / Anti-Mek: 3/4 | 590 | Battle Nova |
| Total | 17871 |
STEP 5 – They decide to use no optional rules.
STEP 6 – They decide to play a simple battle where the winner is the player with most BV remaining at the end of the game (they have 6 hours to play). They decide to play on the 4 mapsheets (in a 2×2 grid) from the Clan Invasion Box Set and 2 from the BTAGOAC box. Nicholas decides not to use the Clan Honor/Zellbrigen rules for this game.
Where next?
After you have played with the Standard Ruleset for a while, you can expand the rules by using Advanced Rules and Advanced Equipment from the Tactical Operations RuleBooks.
You may wish to look into more complex sets of Scenarios that form campaigns. The easiest of which is the Chaos Campaign system. Have a look at the below blog post:
Using Campaign systems you can flesh out the Table of Ordinance and Equipment (TP&E) for your force, with the names and ranks of MechWarriors as well as Tech, AsTechs, Admin staff, and Dropship Pilots!
Or you may wish to use the more complex campaign system in Campaign Operations.
Finally, you may wish to integrate more AeroSpace into your BattleTech games, in which can Strategic Operations (AeroSpace) is the idea RuleBook.
ComStar 