by: Michael Barnes

I bought my first Battletech box set on October 17, 1989. It was a week after my birthday and I was out spending loot with my dad, my mom was out of town, and when we got back home my dad turned on the World Series while I was digging into this amazing new game, already planning on inviting my good friend David over to spend the night over the weekend so we could play it. Then there was a major earthquake that stopped the ballgame. I’ll never forget that, it’s one of those memories that ties gaming into the larger world with a particular point in time. A couple of weeks ago while I was playing a game of Battletech with the new 25th anniversary Introductory Box Set, I saw the news of the earthquake that recently hit Japan.

Whether or not the game is a harbinger of natural disaster, the fact remains that classic Battletech- and I don’t mean that bowdlerized Wizkids Clix version where walking tractors were more common than Mad Cats, Atlases, and Jenners- is back. For a couple of generations now, the Battletech (or Mechwarrior) brand has been almost exclusively associated with great video games and I’d be willing to bet that there are still lots of folks who aren’t aware of the game’s storied history and significant stature among tabletop hobby games. Rights have shuffled around over the years and original publisher FASA is no more, but torchbearer Catalyst Game Labs has kept the flame burning and this new set offers the best entry point into the game system there has been for years.

Retailing for fifty bucks, you’d be hard pressed to find a better value in the hobby today. I was actually kind of blown away at the level of quality and content presented. It really is everything you need not only to get started playing the game, but it is also enough to keep you playing. There’s plenty of material that will remain useful should you choose to delve deeper into the system and product line.

The immediate “wow” factor of the box set is definitely the 26 plastic mechs. Sure, they’re barely above bubblegum machine quality, but they’re awesome and they represent many of the core fighting machines in the Battletech universe. Two of the figures, the Loki and the Thor are “premium” models more in line with the individual miniatures that are also available for purchase. All are unpainted, but there are plenty of photographs to inspire you as well as a painting guide. I really appreciate that the pictured miniatures are what I would consider to be realistically painted rather than the showcase masterpieces regularly featured in White Dwarf and other miniatures publications.

Other ephemera includes a very simple Quick Start rulebook that is probably more appropriate for total newbies than for gamers with any sort of wargaming or miniatures experience as well as a full 80 page rulebook that covers almost all of the core rules, pulling up short just as they start to get into conventional forces and infantry. The rulebooks are extremely well-written and approachable, and include lots of strategy tips and material beyond the “how to play” procedures. There’s also a 56-page “fluff” book that details the fiction behind the game and a poster map (!) of the Battletech universe. Mech record sheets are also supplied, and I’ll be damned if they didn’t go for broke and include two large double-sided and hard mounted mapboards to sweeten the deal.

It’s easy to criticize a box set like this for being little more than a come-on for further purchases, but unlike a Games Workshop starter set or a Fantasy Flight board game, this is really a complete package. There’s enough present that I think dabblers and those who just want a great mech combat game may come away satisfied with this set alone. Another thing I also appreciated about the content is that there is an eight-page guidebook that explains the remainder of the product line and what each other rulebook, sourcebook, or accessory adds to what you’ve purchased in the introductory set. Sure, it’s a kind of advertising. But it’s helpful, particularly because for years it’s been sort of difficult to get into the game at the ground floor.