My ways to improve any Battletech game are pretty basic: 1. Know the math. If you know the modifiers, and pick a cut-off point (example - I generally do not roll against any target above a 9 unless I really have to), then your patience is generally rewarded. 2. Speaking of which, patience and timing are a thing. Just because you CAN shoot doesn't mean you should. It could be a high target number, heat, ammo, or a combination of all things. Poor choices make better stories, but better choices make for more wins. Choose which side of that line you would rather be on. 3. A real life SpecOps soldier once told me: Don't play their game. Play yours. In other words, know what you would like to achieve, and do not be intimidated by any bravado, unit choice, or smack talk. Nothing puts an opponent off their balance like a calm opponent. Stick to your plan and objectives unless they're no longer tenable. 4. Know your units limitations. A unit may look really cool, but it may have limited ammunition, XL Engine components in a weakly armored side torso, or lacks the movement needed for an upcoming map. Don't bring a screwdriver to a card game. Know your limitations. 5. Real world history counts. I'm a fan of martial history, arms and armor. Hit and fade, feint attacks, encirclement, close support artillery, and other tactics still work on a tabletop. True, the game has dice, and therefore luck, but good historical moves improve the odds which lower those target numbers. Shaka Zulu had a tactic called Horns of the Bull (encirclement) that still works today, whereas Napoleon had a thing for weakening the center of the field by well timed hits on the flanks. 6. Small beats big, and big beats small. Large, ponderously slow units are prime targets for battle armor, VTOLs, and fast moving Lights. Lighter units that fail to move quickly are cored in one turn by bigger units with great firepower. Know when to mismatch unit types to your advantage. 7. Play lots of different kinds of units. The greater your experience, the better your choices will become. Playing heavies and assaults all the time will make you prey for Light swarms. Playing Lights all the time will typically not expose you to the benefits of certain weapon systems. Mediums are a great mix, but lack the extremes of scale, so you may be missing out on something. Vehicles can sometimes outperform Mechs, and Infantry can really surprise those not familiar with them. Use lots of types of things. Trust me, its an eye opener. 8. Action economy counts. They who shoot more, hit more. This is also an Eggs In One Basket thing. Big sexy Assaults are enticing, and will almost always be overwhelmed by a full lance of Mediums who will swarm it and take it down. If you want to invest in a high BV unit, you need to know when to push it forward, and when to protect it. If its just sitting in the back row because you're scared to lose it, you just blew half your BV in a park bench that's not contributing. 9. Objectives come first. Accept that you will lose units. Its okay. 10. There are no losers. There are Students. You Win or you Learn.
If you have a good grasp on how the game is played, teach new players, they will ask you if you can do something and you+them can read up to see how that works. It has helped me look at different tactics that pro players don't use, why and how I can use it to get better.
I am sure y'all from Down Under call it the same as we do (I had an Aussie Infantry CSM as my senior instructor for Tactics Certification, before becoming an instructor at our Infantry School NCOA). We refer to it as the IPB process (Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield).
Thank you for the vid. ... Just do not read this part. Yes you do not need the lore to have fun with Battletech the lore is more a support system. Fun is meta for battletech and some things in the lore may add to the fun. Lore is more accurate for finding other mechs that work well with another design or discovering that it was bonk and developing the experience. As examples, in the lore for the Original TRO 3025 the Orion was quoted as having Anti-Aircraft capability. Then you look at the rule books and find Flak AC ammo and Heat Seeking Missiles and smoke rounds for the SRM’s. The likely target for this flak would be the Boomerang or mech buster as conventional aircraft or the VTOL’s from TRO 3026. In one of the battletech story books there is a correspondence between Focht and Comstar members that bought up how they developed the level II formation to counter the clan star. The conclusion being two lance lights welded together. So a pair of lances with those two lances having three mechs. This gives a player an idea of how they organized a formation and would help with building a level II. Maybe building a level II with a “light” lance light and assault lance light. Lore accuracy is mostly relevant for players that play campaigns or play the RPG or maybe the player is into the faction. In the case of the Word of Blake on Pg 102 under Deployment second paragraph. The use of the two Vanquishers and four Hussars. This would inform a player on the basics of WoB level II structure of being two large lumbering long ranged mechs supported by four swift lighter mechs in a C3i environment. I play tested this type of Level II and it gave a good feel for how the regular WoB Division units function.
Excellent points. Thanks for sharing!
My ways to improve any Battletech game are pretty basic:
1. Know the math. If you know the modifiers, and pick a cut-off point (example - I generally do not roll against any target above a 9 unless I really have to), then your patience is generally rewarded.
2. Speaking of which, patience and timing are a thing. Just because you CAN shoot doesn't mean you should. It could be a high target number, heat, ammo, or a combination of all things. Poor choices make better stories, but better choices make for more wins. Choose which side of that line you would rather be on.
3. A real life SpecOps soldier once told me: Don't play their game. Play yours. In other words, know what you would like to achieve, and do not be intimidated by any bravado, unit choice, or smack talk. Nothing puts an opponent off their balance like a calm opponent. Stick to your plan and objectives unless they're no longer tenable.
4. Know your units limitations. A unit may look really cool, but it may have limited ammunition, XL Engine components in a weakly armored side torso, or lacks the movement needed for an upcoming map. Don't bring a screwdriver to a card game. Know your limitations.
5. Real world history counts. I'm a fan of martial history, arms and armor. Hit and fade, feint attacks, encirclement, close support artillery, and other tactics still work on a tabletop. True, the game has dice, and therefore luck, but good historical moves improve the odds which lower those target numbers. Shaka Zulu had a tactic called Horns of the Bull (encirclement) that still works today, whereas Napoleon had a thing for weakening the center of the field by well timed hits on the flanks.
6. Small beats big, and big beats small. Large, ponderously slow units are prime targets for battle armor, VTOLs, and fast moving Lights. Lighter units that fail to move quickly are cored in one turn by bigger units with great firepower. Know when to mismatch unit types to your advantage.
7. Play lots of different kinds of units. The greater your experience, the better your choices will become. Playing heavies and assaults all the time will make you prey for Light swarms. Playing Lights all the time will typically not expose you to the benefits of certain weapon systems. Mediums are a great mix, but lack the extremes of scale, so you may be missing out on something. Vehicles can sometimes outperform Mechs, and Infantry can really surprise those not familiar with them. Use lots of types of things. Trust me, its an eye opener.
8. Action economy counts. They who shoot more, hit more. This is also an Eggs In One Basket thing. Big sexy Assaults are enticing, and will almost always be overwhelmed by a full lance of Mediums who will swarm it and take it down. If you want to invest in a high BV unit, you need to know when to push it forward, and when to protect it. If its just sitting in the back row because you're scared to lose it, you just blew half your BV in a park bench that's not contributing.
9. Objectives come first. Accept that you will lose units. Its okay.
10. There are no losers. There are Students. You Win or you Learn.
If you have a good grasp on how the game is played, teach new players, they will ask you if you can do something and you+them can read up to see how that works. It has helped me look at different tactics that pro players don't use, why and how I can use it to get better.
All solid advice. Learning positioning is super valuable, easily more so than heat management or encyclopedic knowledge of mech qualities.
I am sure y'all from Down Under call it the same as we do (I had an Aussie Infantry CSM as my senior instructor for Tactics Certification, before becoming an instructor at our Infantry School NCOA). We refer to it as the IPB process (Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield).
Thank you for the vid.
...
Just do not read this part.
Yes you do not need the lore to have fun with Battletech the lore is more a support system. Fun is meta for battletech and some things in the lore may add to the fun. Lore is more accurate for finding other mechs that work well with another design or discovering that it was bonk and developing the experience.
As examples, in the lore for the Original TRO 3025 the Orion was quoted as having Anti-Aircraft capability. Then you look at the rule books and find Flak AC ammo and Heat Seeking Missiles and smoke rounds for the SRM’s. The likely target for this flak would be the Boomerang or mech buster as conventional aircraft or the VTOL’s from TRO 3026.
In one of the battletech story books there is a correspondence between Focht and Comstar members that bought up how they developed the level II formation to counter the clan star. The conclusion being two lance lights welded together. So a pair of lances with those two lances having three mechs.
This gives a player an idea of how they organized a formation and would help with building a level II. Maybe building a level II with a “light” lance light and assault lance light. Lore accuracy is mostly relevant for players that play campaigns or play the RPG or maybe the player is into the faction.
In the case of the Word of Blake on Pg 102 under Deployment second paragraph. The use of the two Vanquishers and four Hussars. This would inform a player on the basics of WoB level II structure of being two large lumbering long ranged mechs supported by four swift lighter mechs in a C3i environment. I play tested this type of Level II and it gave a good feel for how the regular WoB Division units function.