I've been playing since the late 80's, I can't think of any reason to stop now. My daughter, son-in-law, his brother and nephews try to get together at least once a month. I'm currently, finally, building a dedicated gaming table almost exclusively for Battletech.
7:41 true, when i started playing back in the mid 90's, a bunch of the old guard in my hometown refused to go anyway near the clans. A decade later, when i went on break around the time wizkids took over, all those old heads were still not using the clans or any of that tech. I've met a few of them at the local club since i started playing again last year, and now they play 40k and still hate on the clans.
@MechanicalFrog i have this really vivid memory, off me and a friend being in one of the local hobby stores staring at the ral partha assault omni mech boxed set, and this ancient dude(probably late 20s early 30s I was 13-14 at the time) sneered at us "omni mechs ruined the game!!" 30+ years later still makes me giggle.
Look, I'll hate on the Clans with the best of them, but some of my favorite 'mechs are post-Clan Invasion, so I'll tolerate the tube babies for the sake of my C3 units.
@@nibblitman eh...that is more protomechs being BS with some of their rules. Ruined plenty of channels with IS tech when roughly equivalent BV2 points are used. 😂
It's not just the number of mechs that make the AGOAC-box a real treat, it's also the choice of mechs that you get. Every mech in that box is good and iconic in their own right. Just pick up another Lance Pack of your choice to round things out and you can field a full company of mechs and have everything you need to play the game for about the same money it'd cost you to buy a Landraider in W40k. Once you're familiar with the standard rules, you can add absolutely crazy amounts of customization with all the different optional rules, the scale and scope of the game can be adjusted to be a mere quick-and-dirty deathmatch up to a yearlong campaign, there's something for everyone I'd say. And last but not least: The minis are a lot of fun to paint, whether you're beginner or a pro, you can really go wild and enjoy the result.
@@MechanicalFrog One thing I forgot: The lore is exceptionally good. I mean, it's a series of novels about giant robots slugging it out, you wouldn't expect much from that, but what you get are great tales of heroism and betrayals. I read the novels 20 years ago and really enjoyed them, about a year or so ago, I found my stash of old books and decided to give them another go. I expected them to be entertaining in a pulpy way, given how much my taste must have matured in all those years.... but nope. The books are _genuinely_ well written and the plotlines are really good. The ever-present politics looming in the background, the scheming and so on, it's crazy.
@@MechanicalFrog ah so hard to choose, from the box I like the wolverine and awesome. I also really like the grasshopper and highlander from playing MW5, I’m all about those jump jets.
@@MechanicalFrog I already came up with an idea for a 3025 merc company called the Jungle Cats, with a lore write up, and I’m planning on painting my box minis in Vietnam tigerstripe camo!
@@Draconic_Blazonry Tigerstripe camo? That counds pretty rad! Awesome and Wolverine are extremely cool mechs, they look cool and perform really well. The Highlander 732 is my favorite assault mech, gotta love that mix of mobility and firepower on all ranges.
@@h.a.9880the awesome is just that. Awesome. It is still performing solidly well in to the IlClan Era with variants like the 9Q. Something about a massive walking slab of armor yeeting man made lightning down range non-stop just works.
When I clicked on this I read the title as "Why Play BattleTech in 3025". I was like "Because it's the best era & you don't have to track as much". Then I was like. "Ohh 2025? This is a different video than expected". :D
While my first exposure to Battletech was with MW2 back when I was a kid, but I didn't get into the game until 2022 with one of the periodical "Warhammer Exoduses". I haven't been back to 40k since! I've got a good group that I see every now and then to throw down with stompy robots and I'm getting better at the game. It's such a breath of fresh air when a game can go either way and you can root for your opponent's mechs (absolute madlad standing up on an 11+ !!) Thank you (and all other creators) for your hard work in promoting and sharing your love for the game and the hobby!
I think Battletech's greatest strength as a table top game is that it has a lot of depth but almost all of it is optional. It's like the ocean, you can go really deep if you want to but you can also hang around the surface, and either can work. Warhammer is more like The Grand Canyon. It's amazing to look at, but if you want to do more than that you HAVE to go deep.
The reasons you gave echo the reasons I dipped my toes into the game last year. Less expensive to start, no need to constantly update rules, and I can paint my dudes anyway I want … and that freedom can be really daunting if you’re not prepared for it…
I rarely get an actual minis-on-table game any more, but when I do, it is always memorable! MegaMek is good, and I am looking into the tabletop simulator module.
I got my start in the 1980's as a kid. Model trains -> battletech pipeline at the local hobby shop. I played the original Mechwarrior and dang... I even dressed up as a Warhammer for Halloween. Fast forward more years than I want to admit to and here we are... NICE plastic minis. Classic rules still valid and kicking it. Alpha strike for larger scale minis and terrain based games. And soon, Aces. Yeah I am seriously stoked by Aces because of the number of folks I know who want to play Battletech and want to play it cooperatively. I tried the playtest with a mini campaign and it was great for them. I may be building and drawing things to make a mini source book for a serious Aces Coop campaign based on an old favorite of mine from the 1990's.
The video I didn’t know I need - but the video I really needed! I’ll do it for you frog - I’ll try to play Battletech for you this year! Also thank you for you awesome videos … my week isn’t complete till I see at least one
Battletech is extraordinarily adaptable in regards to its scale and deep in its lore. Price/playstyle/historical setting can be adapted to your needs/comfort and the rulebooks don't keep throwing out new editions like college textbook publishers that force open your wallet all the time. And the community is an absolute wonderful jam. Be it the nerdy math wizards or the lorekeepers, Battletech is the gift that just keeps on giving.
Currently, I only engage in MegaMek, but perhaps, even just for some fun with my dad (who is the one that grew up with it and introduced me to it), I might pick it up at some point. One of the big upsides to MegaMek is that I don’t have to worry about storing or having space for models and such, but there’s definitely a charm to the physical boardgame.
@ agreed. It’s also fantastic for playing from afar (I live 45+ minutes from my parents now, and some of my dad’s friends play too). It’s not a replacement for the experience of a proper tabletop game, but it’s definitely a convenient and fun tool. It’s also really easy to run campaigns through.
Great video for the new year. I started playing in the late 80s and I remember the clan invasion up to a little bit past operation bulldog and the world of Blake taking over Tera. Love your content and I’m glad to be back in the game.
I am getting back into BattleTech after all these years (started when I was a kid and FASA owned it). I am excited to play again, and picked up a few random boxes. I will not lie, I have NO idea what era to play in.
Battletech is one of the most variable games to play. Regular or campaign? Hexless? Alpha strike? Solo play? TacOps? Solaris7? MegaMek? Widely accepted houserules? Not to mention a multitude of RPGs.
You're so humble. You're a torch bearer for this hobby and you more for this community than you know. Battletech is still for all the reasons you mentioned, and more, the best table top game ever made. Battletech forever.
Good stuff! Thank you for bringing these other channels to people's attention! Science Insanity is also a good content creator for all things sci fi, but his battletech stuff is absolute chef's kiss
So ive only played mech warrior 5 on games pass for 2 or 3 years and never played tabletop but i honestly kinda want to buy minis to paint ive never painted minis before but id love to have a king crab on my shelf with maybe a raven and hunchback and catapult
Mech Frog, SCI and you got be into battletech for the first time. I grew up wearing out a MW4 disc but never knew about Battletech until the game came out and I wanted to thank you for the wonderful and fun videos that have really cemented my love for the franchise. Keep up the great work!
I've been playing MechWarrior for about 24 years, and today I played my first game of Alpha Strike, so it's funny that you uploaded this when you did. I've also got a friend with a proper Battletech box, so I will be dipping my toes into the crunchy end at some point. For now I'm just happy to have finally used some mech models.
The biggest component apart from the community....minis....youtubers etc..is the internally consistent rules unlike other games ( hint hint...40K) so doesnt matter what era you play, rules are the same pretty much. Thanks for this frog.
4:53 that’s my experience. We’ve got one guy who helps to keep things civil, but otherwise, it’s been a good time at my local game shop. Plus, enough of us show up that the owner has decided to start stocking Battletech stuff. And in my case, it was “Come for the Big Stompy, stay for the political intrigue.”
I feel like ilkhan is the set up for a "calm down period" we going to see a new weapon or tech something that will be just as exciting to play with as double heat sinks or pulse lasers
Thanks for making this Mechfrog, it's a great time to be a Mechwarrior again and I'm so grateful to your hard work and passion. Thanks for being here my Man!
About the only thing battletech needs is aerospace stuff actually being worked beyond having the devs doing more than killing off what few warships remain
Because it is not a video game, movie, or something else we do that doesn't involve interacting in-person with another human. TTRPGs where we "write" the story with others is priceless. Sure, the tools are dice, paper, minis, etc. You are still interacting with humans and crafting our human story.
Because I have hundreds of dollars and 1,000s of hours invested in Battletech. Plus I'm never told my miniatures are no longer part of the game. Not that the loss of my Bretonian army left me bitter or anything.
Alphastrike was the first tabletop wargame i played, i was fortunate enough to find a great community to teach me and we've started a mercanery campaign
My biggest hurtle to actually playing the game. I've run Shadowrun for decades. Since version 2. I've worked with those books. I've got all of the 2.0 and 3.0 rule books. And you expect that I'm giving battletech a chance to swing on Heckle and Jeckle (my last two brain cells)?!?.......... maybe but I'm playing it as a video game first. Maybe via MegaMek because damnit I'm not buying and painting mini's to just find out that the paint fumes killed Jeckle and I can't figure out which books to cross reference to figure out initiative
Man I gave the thumbs up early. Still, I found myself going back multiple times to thumbs up it again. You had many great points. Thank you both for your addition to the game and louding the additions of others.
I'm looking forward to the Aces products so I can run an overlapping Total Chaos campaign with my son. Having the AI Opfor when we choose the same mission should add some fun in this year's games.
Personally, I have only been playing BT for like, two years. I randomly saw someone demoing it at my local game store and asked about it. Am I so glad I did, as it very quickly became my new Autistic obsession. No game since Pokémon or Monster Hunter has pulled me in and held me so tightly. Here's to another fantastic year of big stompy robots, Frog.
I AS old Grognard battletech player play as i love the game since 1984 (yes iam one of those players who got battledroids), we recently lost are gaming groups home as are local flgs is closing, We have a good group of old grognards to former and current warhammer players and new to the game. But have no worries we found a new home at another local flgs, I play for i love the game from classic to Alpha to rpg. This game brought me joy when i was 15 and 40 years latter i still play it. Always willing to help out new and old to have a great time. And decided to go become a Demo agent as. Also we plan on doing a Mechanical Frog game day where we run your mech designs
Affordability was the selling point for me 1.5 years ago. People underestimate how much the cost of tabletop wargames scare people. My brother played 40K for many years, and I didn't lean into it because I don't want to spend 1000s of Euros for my hobby as tempting it may be. When I found out you can get the AGoAC box for 60€ I was sold. One recommendation for new players: If you want casual Get the Alpha Strike box too (or get the AS box+some hex maps) and get the AS Commander Edition for the conversion rules (just get the PDF for 15€). AS is perfect to set up matches that are roughly 1h long and the maps make everything very portable. That makes it ideal to sneak it in into a casual board game night and bring other players to play which are not into war gaming. Sure you can do that with AGoAC as well, but the rules of AS feel much less overwhelming for casual players. and one card per MEch with a few bubbles and numbers look more manageable than a complete MEch sheet. Alternatively you can use the intro rules, but in my book AS makes more sense.
Built and painted 40k for about 5 years. Played two whole games of Killteam. The entire time there was always complaining about rules, discarded units, FOMO, borked armies and lots of sour attitude on new players because they didn’t understand something. Some iteration of this was always present. Haven’t played Battletech TT. Just painted for about a year. Have yet to see anything but welcoming grognards, enthusiastic newbies and genuine positivity. That’s why.
What I find great is regardless of the era or the storyline, there is always some place or faction to like and play. I may not be big fan of Terra story in IlClan era, but I dig FedSuns and Hinterlands etc.
Can I throw a video idea your way? In the spirit of our favorite Country/Hip-Hop Fusion artist, how about a 2-fer with the Hollander and the clan knock-off the Pack Hunter? It seems to me that the IS was so focused on getting more gauss rifles into the field that they ignored what an ER-PPC and 10 factory double heat sinks would have bought them. Jump jets? More armor? Emotional support small lasers? It would make for an interesting comparison! 😂
I'd like to play the table top eventually: from the 2nd game, to 4: Mercs and both 5s, I love BattleTech! I've got the BattleTech game via GOG and I'm eager to see how it plays!
Thanks, as always Sir Frog, for the wonderful information. I DO have a question for you, or anyone with an answer. I'm a fan of watching Battle reports, do you have any recommendations for a channel to watch? thanks in advance, and keep up the good work!
I got my AGOAC box last year around Christmas, and kept putting off getting all the supplies to paint them. Now I have paints and there's no excuse! 2025 is when my mercenaries will take up arms for House Liao!
BattleTech should be played because so long as a new comer is actually there to play the game there is no such thing as a bad game. Sure, some of us have our pet time periods, but we all play the same game with the same rules. Got just the rules and no map, fine, use the mini rules and whatever you have for mechs. Got a map, that just makes it easier. When the options are a living universe with a rule set that 99% unchanged in 40 years that can be played with anything the right size with a defined "front", even just wine corks, vs a hybrid of Stalin and necromancy that take thousands of dollars of buy-in and a ruleset that changes ever four years, play the one that doesn't have a lot of cannibalism.
So, what are the mechs in the begginer box? I think its a highlander and a thuderbolt but i just qant to be sure as from what i can tell it dosent say what they are in the description and wanted to know what im adding to my force of Couger and Wild cat
@MechanicalFrog cool, I have the 40th anniversary edition, so thanks for telling me. I got a code for a free box 2 years ago and found it just recently. It worked, and now I'm getting it soon
I miss the people I used to play with. They’ve gone off to do impressive things with their lives, but I doubt most will ever paint a mini again. Maybe someday I’ll introduce my children to the game, but that’s still a few years away.
First got back into BT with MW5 after previously only playing MechAssault. Channels like yours helped to fill in the gaps of knowledge. Although, I can't say I'll ever play TT, since I'm not into turn based stuff.... And I'm not good at painting, especially models.
We couldn't ask for a better ambassador for the game. Keep on hopping on!
Thanks a ton.
Because We Can
That's enough for me.
Because we can't play it in 3025...yet.
@@MM22966 That is absolutely logic.
Seyla
My thoughts exactly
I've been playing since the late 80's, I can't think of any reason to stop now. My daughter, son-in-law, his brother and nephews try to get together at least once a month.
I'm currently, finally, building a dedicated gaming table almost exclusively for Battletech.
May as well keep going.
@MechanicalFrog I really enjoy your videos. Thank you
Shout out to the black pants legion!!
Hurrah!
Man, I actually ran a game that was underwater. It was a very interesting game with lots of laughs.
It's a bit of a trip.
...blubb?
Let me guess, your sound track was from The little Mermaid?
its fun running underwater scenarios
@@sim.frischh9781 Hunt for The Red October OST was the jam of choice.
Through-armour criticals hit different when sea bass follow the round into your mech.
1 - nice stompy mecha minis. 2 - recreational war crimes. 3 - affordable. 4 - CombatMath really improves your mental skills.
"What is the RWC likelihood for this mission?" Yes.
@@MechanicalFrog”RWC LIKELIHOOD: HIGH” scribbled on any given briefing room’s white board
7:41 true, when i started playing back in the mid 90's, a bunch of the old guard in my hometown refused to go anyway near the clans. A decade later, when i went on break around the time wizkids took over, all those old heads were still not using the clans or any of that tech. I've met a few of them at the local club since i started playing again last year, and now they play 40k and still hate on the clans.
Some people sure can hold a grudge. :D
@MechanicalFrog i have this really vivid memory, off me and a friend being in one of the local hobby stores staring at the ral partha assault omni mech boxed set, and this ancient dude(probably late 20s early 30s I was 13-14 at the time) sneered at us "omni mechs ruined the game!!"
30+ years later still makes me giggle.
Look, I'll hate on the Clans with the best of them, but some of my favorite 'mechs are post-Clan Invasion, so I'll tolerate the tube babies for the sake of my C3 units.
Having just played my first game against protomechs I can understand how they feel. Clanners are BS.
@@nibblitman eh...that is more protomechs being BS with some of their rules. Ruined plenty of channels with IS tech when roughly equivalent BV2 points are used. 😂
It's not just the number of mechs that make the AGOAC-box a real treat, it's also the choice of mechs that you get. Every mech in that box is good and iconic in their own right. Just pick up another Lance Pack of your choice to round things out and you can field a full company of mechs and have everything you need to play the game for about the same money it'd cost you to buy a Landraider in W40k.
Once you're familiar with the standard rules, you can add absolutely crazy amounts of customization with all the different optional rules, the scale and scope of the game can be adjusted to be a mere quick-and-dirty deathmatch up to a yearlong campaign, there's something for everyone I'd say.
And last but not least: The minis are a lot of fun to paint, whether you're beginner or a pro, you can really go wild and enjoy the result.
Well put.
@@MechanicalFrog One thing I forgot: The lore is exceptionally good. I mean, it's a series of novels about giant robots slugging it out, you wouldn't expect much from that, but what you get are great tales of heroism and betrayals.
I read the novels 20 years ago and really enjoyed them, about a year or so ago, I found my stash of old books and decided to give them another go. I expected them to be entertaining in a pulpy way, given how much my taste must have matured in all those years.... but nope.
The books are _genuinely_ well written and the plotlines are really good. The ever-present politics looming in the background, the scheming and so on, it's crazy.
Let’s not say things about the Commando that we can’t take back!
Giant stompy bots that are actually teeny-tiny and in a box, what's not to love?
Excellent point.
"Fusion power! Itty-bitty living space."
I’m super obsessed with BT because of your channel, just got my first AGoAC box a few weeks ago! Thanks!
Excellent. Do you have a favorite mech yet?
@@MechanicalFrog ah so hard to choose, from the box I like the wolverine and awesome. I also really like the grasshopper and highlander from playing MW5, I’m all about those jump jets.
@@MechanicalFrog I already came up with an idea for a 3025 merc company called the Jungle Cats, with a lore write up, and I’m planning on painting my box minis in Vietnam tigerstripe camo!
@@Draconic_Blazonry Tigerstripe camo? That counds pretty rad!
Awesome and Wolverine are extremely cool mechs, they look cool and perform really well. The Highlander 732 is my favorite assault mech, gotta love that mix of mobility and firepower on all ranges.
@@h.a.9880the awesome is just that. Awesome. It is still performing solidly well in to the IlClan Era with variants like the 9Q. Something about a massive walking slab of armor yeeting man made lightning down range non-stop just works.
When I clicked on this I read the title as "Why Play BattleTech in 3025".
I was like "Because it's the best era & you don't have to track as much".
Then I was like. "Ohh 2025? This is a different video than expected". :D
Uh oh... ;D
Your upbeat and humorous approach to lore and BT is so refreshing! Love it!
Thank you!
8:22 The FWL has got a lot of moving parts. At least our R&D department isn't a cult anymore.
Good improvement...
While my first exposure to Battletech was with MW2 back when I was a kid, but I didn't get into the game until 2022 with one of the periodical "Warhammer Exoduses". I haven't been back to 40k since! I've got a good group that I see every now and then to throw down with stompy robots and I'm getting better at the game. It's such a breath of fresh air when a game can go either way and you can root for your opponent's mechs (absolute madlad standing up on an 11+ !!)
Thank you (and all other creators) for your hard work in promoting and sharing your love for the game and the hobby!
Because there's a two page rules update in the book which covers ALL the changes since 1987
I think Battletech's greatest strength as a table top game is that it has a lot of depth but almost all of it is optional. It's like the ocean, you can go really deep if you want to but you can also hang around the surface, and either can work.
Warhammer is more like The Grand Canyon. It's amazing to look at, but if you want to do more than that you HAVE to go deep.
The reasons you gave echo the reasons I dipped my toes into the game last year. Less expensive to start, no need to constantly update rules, and I can paint my dudes anyway I want … and that freedom can be really daunting if you’re not prepared for it…
"You mean I can do basically whatever I want?" Yeah...
This is kind of scary.
I rarely get an actual minis-on-table game any more, but when I do, it is always memorable! MegaMek is good, and I am looking into the tabletop simulator module.
Megamek is a great resource for scratching the BattleTech itch.
I got my start in the 1980's as a kid. Model trains -> battletech pipeline at the local hobby shop. I played the original Mechwarrior and dang... I even dressed up as a Warhammer for Halloween. Fast forward more years than I want to admit to and here we are... NICE plastic minis. Classic rules still valid and kicking it. Alpha strike for larger scale minis and terrain based games. And soon, Aces. Yeah I am seriously stoked by Aces because of the number of folks I know who want to play Battletech and want to play it cooperatively. I tried the playtest with a mini campaign and it was great for them.
I may be building and drawing things to make a mini source book for a serious Aces Coop campaign based on an old favorite of mine from the 1990's.
It's affordable, fun and the minis are easy introduction into painting models vs the complexity of its competition.
Because it the most welcoming community in wargamming
Fact Check: True.
@@MechanicalFrog Wholesome
I've adored this franchise since I was about 11, and I don't see it going away anytime soon. Long live the Inner Sphere!
Yay!
The video I didn’t know I need - but the video I really needed!
I’ll do it for you frog - I’ll try to play Battletech for you this year!
Also thank you for you awesome videos … my week isn’t complete till I see at least one
Yay! Have a great weekend! More nonsense ahead.
Thank you for being a fun Battletech dedicated creator, MechFrog!
Just doing my part.
Battletech is extraordinarily adaptable in regards to its scale and deep in its lore. Price/playstyle/historical setting can be adapted to your needs/comfort and the rulebooks don't keep throwing out new editions like college textbook publishers that force open your wallet all the time.
And the community is an absolute wonderful jam. Be it the nerdy math wizards or the lorekeepers, Battletech is the gift that just keeps on giving.
I love that you referenced MRESteve. It's like all of my autism hobbies together
...nice.
Currently, I only engage in MegaMek, but perhaps, even just for some fun with my dad (who is the one that grew up with it and introduced me to it), I might pick it up at some point. One of the big upsides to MegaMek is that I don’t have to worry about storing or having space for models and such, but there’s definitely a charm to the physical boardgame.
for one thing, painting and displaying the minis!
MegaMek is great for getting that quick BattleTech fix.
@ agreed. It’s also fantastic for playing from afar (I live 45+ minutes from my parents now, and some of my dad’s friends play too). It’s not a replacement for the experience of a proper tabletop game, but it’s definitely a convenient and fun tool. It’s also really easy to run campaigns through.
@@marsar1775 I’m definitely interested in painting at least a company of mechs for sure :)
Love the Steve1989MRE reference! Great video as per always.
Glad you liked it.
Cuz it's full of giant robots. Chicks dig giant robots.
That's good enough for me.
Megas xlr 😊
I am very excited for Aces that is supposed to be released this year.
Looking forward to it. MiniFrog wants to team up with me against the AI.
@@MechanicalFrog playing with my tadpoles is the plan too.
Great video for the new year. I started playing in the late 80s and I remember the clan invasion up to a little bit past operation bulldog and the world of Blake taking over Tera. Love your content and I’m glad to be back in the game.
Thanks a lot. Welcome back to the fray, Mechwarrior.
2:31 is that the elusive Cat Mad? The Wimber Tolf?
I don't know but I'm scared.
I am getting back into BattleTech after all these years (started when I was a kid and FASA owned it). I am excited to play again, and picked up a few random boxes. I will not lie, I have NO idea what era to play in.
Welcome back to the fray, Mechwarrior. I personally prefer the Clan Invasion era.
Battletech is one of the most variable games to play. Regular or campaign? Hexless? Alpha strike? Solo play? TacOps? Solaris7? MegaMek? Widely accepted houserules? Not to mention a multitude of RPGs.
Very very flexible.
Other than upcoming ACES is there any good system to play Solo?
You're so humble. You're a torch bearer for this hobby and you more for this community than you know. Battletech is still for all the reasons you mentioned, and more, the best table top game ever made. Battletech forever.
Thank you. I just want to do what I can to boost a game that has been an important part of my life.
Love the channel. Thanks for being a voice for the hobby we love.
Thanks! Glad to be here.
I've only played a few games, all of which I'd coaxed family into, but it's fantastic.
Then welcome to the fray, Mechwarrior.
Good stuff! Thank you for bringing these other channels to people's attention! Science Insanity is also a good content creator for all things sci fi, but his battletech stuff is absolute chef's kiss
i want to point out that the Beginner and Essential Box each bring 2 Mechs and a 2 sided Hexmap to the Table, so it might worth getting them both.
Perhaps, though if you're going up to the $50 mark, the GoAC box is all the more attractive for 8 mechs.
@@MechanicalFrog yeah i meant them as addon ^^
So ive only played mech warrior 5 on games pass for 2 or 3 years and never played tabletop but i honestly kinda want to buy minis to paint ive never painted minis before but id love to have a king crab on my shelf with maybe a raven and hunchback and catapult
You hit all the points I regularly preach whenever trying to convince other folks to try this setting. Keep up the good fight, chief!
Mech Frog, SCI and you got be into battletech for the first time. I grew up wearing out a MW4 disc but never knew about Battletech until the game came out and I wanted to thank you for the wonderful and fun videos that have really cemented my love for the franchise. Keep up the great work!
Thank you for entertaining my nonsense. :D
I've been playing MechWarrior for about 24 years, and today I played my first game of Alpha Strike, so it's funny that you uploaded this when you did.
I've also got a friend with a proper Battletech box, so I will be dipping my toes into the crunchy end at some point.
For now I'm just happy to have finally used some mech models.
Mechanical Frog, your dry humor just gets better and better. Never stop.
Alpha Strike is a big advantage, you can use the same models and background for games of different granularity and complexity is great.
Absolutely. It's great to have the option to go with either rule set as needed.
Because there's a whole world of books to read, with fantastic action, engaging characters, deep storylines and a magnificent world
Great video man. Love to see this group on mech nerds is getting larger and the community is alive and well.
The biggest component apart from the community....minis....youtubers etc..is the internally consistent rules unlike other games ( hint hint...40K) so doesnt matter what era you play, rules are the same pretty much. Thanks for this frog.
It's the stability of the ruleset that makes it stand out.
4:53 that’s my experience. We’ve got one guy who helps to keep things civil, but otherwise, it’s been a good time at my local game shop. Plus, enough of us show up that the owner has decided to start stocking Battletech stuff.
And in my case, it was “Come for the Big Stompy, stay for the political intrigue.”
I feel like ilkhan is the set up for a "calm down period" we going to see a new weapon or tech something that will be just as exciting to play with as double heat sinks or pulse lasers
Definitely more new mechs
Lines will settle down, though the politics will likely still be spicy.
Thanks for making this Mechfrog, it's a great time to be a Mechwarrior again and I'm so grateful to your hard work and passion. Thanks for being here my Man!
My son can't get enough Alpha Strike so it really helps me get minis on the table!
Excellent. So glad to hear it. I need to dig deeper into Alphastrike as a regular option.
It's fun.
Very fun
Finished painting my AGoAC box in october and just bought like 24 mechs for christmas, this is the year of the mech for me
Bring on the stompy mechs!
About the only thing battletech needs is aerospace stuff actually being worked beyond having the devs doing more than killing off what few warships remain
Because it is not a video game, movie, or something else we do that doesn't involve interacting in-person with another human. TTRPGs where we "write" the story with others is priceless. Sure, the tools are dice, paper, minis, etc. You are still interacting with humans and crafting our human story.
Well put.
Because I have hundreds of dollars and 1,000s of hours invested in Battletech. Plus I'm never told my miniatures are no longer part of the game. Not that the loss of my Bretonian army left me bitter or anything.
Alphastrike was the first tabletop wargame i played, i was fortunate enough to find a great community to teach me and we've started a mercanery campaign
My biggest hurtle to actually playing the game.
I've run Shadowrun for decades. Since version 2.
I've worked with those books. I've got all of the 2.0 and 3.0 rule books.
And you expect that I'm giving battletech a chance to swing on Heckle and Jeckle (my last two brain cells)?!?.......... maybe but I'm playing it as a video game first. Maybe via MegaMek because damnit I'm not buying and painting mini's to just find out that the paint fumes killed Jeckle and I can't figure out which books to cross reference to figure out initiative
life is full of little challenges.
I love that we've all seemed to gravitate to "kerfuffle" because of filters.
i'll start playing when my kickstarter arrives, RIP Aus backers.
oh no.
To keep a certain Country / Hip Hop fusion artist in a job.......until his music career takes off.
Well, Battletech has my vote! BATTLETECH FOR CONGRESS...ER...WAIT...(nevermind...but Battletech for lots of FUN in 2025!)
BattleTech is too good for elected office.
@@MechanicalFrog Abso-friggin-lutely.
Great video for showing the good points, changes done and developments to come in BattleTech.
Because you can use the brilliant mechfrog's videos to get a good idea what all the battlemechs do.
Because I just got my son into it…and I have a resin printer…and you know…reasons.
Good times had by all.
What was that channel you said that was creating a BattleTech comic book? I've never heard of that one before.
WildCat144 is running it. bsky.app/profile/wild-cat144.bsky.social/post/3lepkq7h46k2m
This year I shall become the mechist warrior
Into the fray, mechwarrior... march!
Man I gave the thumbs up early. Still, I found myself going back multiple times to thumbs up it again. You had many great points. Thank you both for your addition to the game and louding the additions of others.
Because we've got Charger minis now
Plenty of emotional support small lasers on that one.
Because Battletech is always there for you. It's a constant in a world of ever-changing games. Thanks for this great video, Mr. Mechfrog! 🐺🍻 🐸
Thank you!
Because we have a brilliant community of content creators, blogs, podcasts, webcasts, UA-camrs and more
Gundam wargame spying on the corner
I'm curious about that game, for sure.
@@MechanicalFrog As long as the bases are the right size, the minis should be the right size for BT use.
Kitbashing ahoy.
I'm looking forward to the Aces products so I can run an overlapping Total Chaos campaign with my son. Having the AI Opfor when we choose the same mission should add some fun in this year's games.
Personally, I have only been playing BT for like, two years. I randomly saw someone demoing it at my local game store and asked about it.
Am I so glad I did, as it very quickly became my new Autistic obsession. No game since Pokémon or Monster Hunter has pulled me in and held me so tightly.
Here's to another fantastic year of big stompy robots, Frog.
I AS old Grognard battletech player play as i love the game since 1984 (yes iam one of those players who got battledroids),
we recently lost are gaming groups home as are local flgs is closing, We have a good group of old grognards to former and current warhammer players and new to the game.
But have no worries we found a new home at another local flgs,
I play for i love the game from classic to Alpha to rpg. This game brought me joy when i was 15 and 40 years latter i still play it. Always willing to help out new and old to have a great time. And decided to go become a Demo agent as.
Also we plan on doing a Mechanical Frog game day where we run your mech designs
Affordability was the selling point for me 1.5 years ago. People underestimate how much the cost of tabletop wargames scare people. My brother played 40K for many years, and I didn't lean into it because I don't want to spend 1000s of Euros for my hobby as tempting it may be. When I found out you can get the AGoAC box for 60€ I was sold.
One recommendation for new players: If you want casual Get the Alpha Strike box too (or get the AS box+some hex maps) and get the AS Commander Edition for the conversion rules (just get the PDF for 15€). AS is perfect to set up matches that are roughly 1h long and the maps make everything very portable. That makes it ideal to sneak it in into a casual board game night and bring other players to play which are not into war gaming. Sure you can do that with AGoAC as well, but the rules of AS feel much less overwhelming for casual players. and one card per MEch with a few bubbles and numbers look more manageable than a complete MEch sheet. Alternatively you can use the intro rules, but in my book AS makes more sense.
Built and painted 40k for about 5 years. Played two whole games of Killteam. The entire time there was always complaining about rules, discarded units, FOMO, borked armies and lots of sour attitude on new players because they didn’t understand something. Some iteration of this was always present.
Haven’t played Battletech TT. Just painted for about a year. Have yet to see anything but welcoming grognards, enthusiastic newbies and genuine positivity. That’s why.
Because there's great digital games, and board games, as well as the tabletop game to enjoy
Comment for that algorithm thinger. I fell headfirst into this about 2 years ago now and all hope is lost for ever getting out 😆
Because I can play in a squad v squad mech game that appeals to me as a mecha fan
Solid.
If I could double like this, I would.
What I find great is regardless of the era or the storyline, there is always some place or faction to like and play. I may not be big fan of Terra story in IlClan era, but I dig FedSuns and Hinterlands etc.
Started play BT in the late 80's. Gave it up, came back with Alpha Strike. Question though: why in the world are IWM mechs average $20 a pop?
They are rather pricey... I can't explain why.
Can I throw a video idea your way? In the spirit of our favorite Country/Hip-Hop Fusion artist, how about a 2-fer with the Hollander and the clan knock-off the Pack Hunter?
It seems to me that the IS was so focused on getting more gauss rifles into the field that they ignored what an ER-PPC and 10 factory double heat sinks would have bought them. Jump jets? More armor? Emotional support small lasers?
It would make for an interesting comparison! 😂
I'd like to play the table top eventually: from the 2nd game, to 4: Mercs and both 5s, I love BattleTech! I've got the BattleTech game via GOG and I'm eager to see how it plays!
Because there is nobody who could stop us. Well, legally, that is.
Defiantly playing Battletech...
Gosh that SteveMRE1989 line got me laughing. Well done 😂
nice...
Thanks, as always Sir Frog, for the wonderful information. I DO have a question for you, or anyone with an answer. I'm a fan of watching Battle reports, do you have any recommendations for a channel to watch? thanks in advance, and keep up the good work!
Six Sides of Gaming might be your best bet.
I got my AGOAC box last year around Christmas, and kept putting off getting all the supplies to paint them. Now I have paints and there's no excuse! 2025 is when my mercenaries will take up arms for House Liao!
Because I play Battletech and I'm great 🎉
That settles that. :D
All solid points.
Thank ya.
My local group tends to stick with Clan Invasion era lists, what can we expect game-wise if we upgrade to playing stuff from the IlClan era?
BattleTech should be played because so long as a new comer is actually there to play the game there is no such thing as a bad game. Sure, some of us have our pet time periods, but we all play the same game with the same rules. Got just the rules and no map, fine, use the mini rules and whatever you have for mechs. Got a map, that just makes it easier. When the options are a living universe with a rule set that 99% unchanged in 40 years that can be played with anything the right size with a defined "front", even just wine corks, vs a hybrid of Stalin and necromancy that take thousands of dollars of buy-in and a ruleset that changes ever four years, play the one that doesn't have a lot of cannibalism.
It definitely has a lot going for it, including requiring people to slow down and think about strategy in a more substantive way.
More planet primers please, the Tanite worlds.
So, what are the mechs in the begginer box?
I think its a highlander and a thuderbolt but i just qant to be sure as from what i can tell it dosent say what they are in the description and wanted to know what im adding to my force of Couger and Wild cat
The newest Beginner Box has the Vindicator and Griffin in it.
@MechanicalFrog cool, I have the 40th anniversary edition, so thanks for telling me.
I got a code for a free box 2 years ago and found it just recently. It worked, and now I'm getting it soon
I miss the people I used to play with. They’ve gone off to do impressive things with their lives, but I doubt most will ever paint a mini again.
Maybe someday I’ll introduce my children to the game, but that’s still a few years away.
Gen Z and Alpha need to enjoy stompy mechs too.
Need a Tundra Wolf video and plastic
Because it's fun and enjoyable. No need to complicate it more than it needs to be.
Let us hope, the influx of new blood in 2024, continues in 2025.
Also, you have already covered my fan favourite omni mech. The Direwolf C
First got back into BT with MW5 after previously only playing MechAssault.
Channels like yours helped to fill in the gaps of knowledge. Although, I can't say I'll ever play TT, since I'm not into turn based stuff.... And I'm not good at painting, especially models.