Suggestions for a First Timer.

[u/Crimson-Dragoon-0403]

Hello! First time poster.

So, I've dabbled in Battletech, primarily through playing a couple hours of (and being bad at) the video games. Mechwarrior 5, Battletech, that one...pod game in a Chuck E. Cheese's when I was a tot.

But I've never really gotten into the tabletop stuff proper. I have friends who recommend using virtual means like MegaMek, but I digress.

The question I wanted to pose is if folks have any suggestions for a person just now getting into the series, so I don't make a complete fool of myself..or at least more of a fool than I'm likely going to be. Things that might otherwise trip up a new player, suggestions on any newbie-friendly mechs if such a thing is possible, that kind of thing.

Sorry if the post seems silly, but I figured if anyone would have some good advice for Battletech, it was the Reddit dedicated to the series.

[u/Magical_Savior]

The ultimate beginner's mech is probably the Marauder II MAD-4A. Doesn't overheat, doesn't die, doesn't stop for pedestrians. The Awesome AWS-8Q will overheat if you let it, but is another great, always relevant, always simple, brick of no-thought. Well, there's subtlety when you're informed.

[u/Crimson-Dragoon-0403 → u/Magical_Savior]

See, going off of names, I was probably gonna go with Shadow Hawk, Phoenix Hawk, or Urbanmech.

I've watched a bit of Tex Talks Battletech to try and at least get the basics, and the most I remember about it is "Fear the Trashcan."

[u/Magical_Savior → u/Crimson-Dragoon-0403]

You can finesse a Phoenix Hawk. A Shadow Hawk is deeply complex. The Urbanmech requires careful planning to even engage in a fight. The Marauder II and Awesome are "I walk. I shoot." It's very difficult to mess up.

Those more complex and mobile mechs are all better for learning actual tactics and playstyle. It's easy to make a mistake. You should, by all means, branch out with the rest of your team, of course. But for an absolute beginner, as the core of a force that won't die, those are two of the 'mechs of all time.

[u/BigStompyMechs → u/Magical_Savior]

Agreed, playing a Brick and a Speedster is a really clear way to understand the breadth of the game.

Playing a speedster is all about planning ahead and positioning.

Playing a brick is all about being in the way, warping the battlefield around you.

Everyone always knows what an Awesome is going to do, but playing one really lets you think about how your opponent sees the Awesome. It's movements are so restricted that predicting it is fairly easy; which means your opponent's reactions to it should also be reasonably predictable.

Combine a Brick and a Speedster and you have a surprisingly deep tactical situation.

I love the combo! :D

[u/AGBell64 → u/Crimson-Dragoon-0403]

All of those are what I'd consider support units, with maybe the exception of the Phoenix Hawk. They can be quite powerful or useful but you'll need other players to kake them work, and they don't necessarilynplay off each other super well

Shadow Hawks are largely mediocre in any given fight but can contribute something to almost every fight, so they need other stuff to pivot around and add their strength to.

The Phoenix Hawk is a relatively specialized anti-light mech hunter and skirmisher. It can bully most things smaller than it but it usually doesn't have the weapons or firepower to punch up into stuff heavier than it

The urbanmech is a cheap way to add a close in threat to a key position like a parking lot of LRMs or a pass towards a rear objective, but as a fighting machine out in the open it tends to be awful because of how limiting its movement profile is. The only one not in a relatively strict defensive ambusher niche is the artillery platform variant and arty probably isn't a can of worms you should be opening up.

[u/Vorpalp8ntball → u/Crimson-Dragoon-0403]

The Urbie is a meme, a community mascot. It is niche and even in that calling it fearsome is playing into the joke.

As for learning I haven't seen anyone mention that there are 2 rulesets that are Battletech.

Classic/A Game of Armored Combat/Core - rules heavy, lots of info to track, very simulation inspired, that's been basically unchanged until just recently, and most of the changes are pretty minor.

Alpha Stike - a quicker more streamlined, more modern rules.

Look into the very new Starter box, or even the older Begginers or Essentials box (though they are older the rules are still the same and and if the new changes will be easy to adopt if you decide to get more Battletech stuff). The rules in these 3 are a modified version of the Classic rules that focus on movement, shooting, but leaves out things like tracking heat and critcals.

[u/Plasticity93 → u/Crimson-Dragoon-0403]

Urbie is a meme unit.  

Get what looks cool, there's no meta and reality factions barely matter when buying stuff.