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The New BattleTech Starter Boxes Have a Problem

EeZeE Company

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The new BattleTech Starter Box and Core Box bring a very different mix of BattleMechs into Classic BattleTech, creating a problem.

In this video, we break down every mech in both boxes, what role it fills, which eras and factions can actually use it, and what kind of forces you can build from the full selection.

We’ll also look at where the new boxes create problems for players using older eras, how salvage and faction availability change the picture, and why Clan Sea Fox makes the whole collection much more flexible than it first appears.

If you’re a new BattleTech player, building your first force, or trying to decide how useful these new starter boxes really are, this should give you a much clearer answer.

CHAPTERS
00:00 The Problem With the New BattleTech Boxes
00:48 The Starter Box BattleMechs
01:40 The Starter Box Standees
02:52 The Core Box BattleMechs
05:48 The Clan Invasion Problem
06:40 What Forces Can You Build?
08:39 One More Answer

#BattleTech #ClassicBattleTech #TabletopWargaming

"Limit 70" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...

20 Comments

@eezeecompany Creator 2 months ago Pinned

Which of the new Starter/Core Box mechs do you think is the biggest headache for actually building a force around, and what would you replace it with?

@terminaro 2 months ago

A lot of "problems" in miniature strategy games can be solved with chill players.

@robertwhite7845 2 months ago

It sounds like there's a MAD CAT in the background. LOL

@thethomafisk 2 months ago

A lot of my group has played since the 80’s. They all live crazy Il-clan era mechs.

@Avtarangel 2 months ago

CGL have themselves addressed this somewhat, they have pointed out that there was a disconnect between the current era (Ilclan) and the entry point being WAY back in succession wars thus the update to the entry boxes being aimed at the Ilclan era after all the disconnect from going this is when everything is currently happening but the game entry point being such a long time before the current era so the new Core & Starter boxes have been brought in line with where CGL are currently pushing the 'Story' of the game.

Sorry if I'm rambling. 🙂

@razgriz25thinf 2 months ago

Maybe this is a european thing, because here in the states, I've yet to run into a group that goes out of its way to only play one era, and I've lived in a lot of places all over the country over the last 10 years. My overwhelming experience is that players show up with whatever mechs they want, and you build a force based on BV or PV limits. And especially now that Hinterlands is a thing, campaign play is overwhelmingly ilclan era now. I feel like i'm significantly breaking the mold by running a civil war campaign at my FLGS.

A lot of players don't even build their forces to a faction at all.

@khamul64 2 months ago

Nobody:
Clan Sea Fox: I can sell that.

@davidsands100 2 months ago

Been playing Battletech since the late 80s as a young boy. I am glad that Catalyst is decidedly moving the setting forward with this newest edition of the game. It is time. I have been hot and cold on them since they took over stewardship of the game, but I feel they finally have a vision that they can build off of instead of retreading the FASA years one kickstarter at a time. I do still have two major concerns with the current product, lack of print availability of essential product, and the pushing of battlefield support as the "default" way to use combined arms in classic. We really need an updated version of Total War, urgently.

@larslaufer301 2 months ago

I am happy they don't get stuck in the old era. There is more then enough stuff out there and haveing a fresh start is a good thing.

@Frank-py3hk 2 months ago

My experience is most play groups have two factions: those who play just for fun and those who get deep in the lore and run Era/faction specific forces. The entry point of the game timeline is Ilclan era.

@Ont525 2 months ago

It is good that they are pushing to the new era. A moving history is one of the biggest strengths of Battletech

@perryfolk8796 2 months ago

Devi's advocate, most of the mechs in the setting pop up somewhere else in the setting shortly after their initial appearance. So it's not hard for anyone to play any mech with any group. In addition, you can proxy your minis until you ID what you like and build/buy into it.

Also, Ill-Clan needs it's support. Love Succession Wars and Clan Invasion, but Ill-Clan just blows open what you can do. I feel like it's the assumed setting that BT works best in since you can bring whatever you want. Similar to how the Periphery is a catch all for "We just want to play and don't care".

@mathewbutler1853 2 months ago

New merc setting up my first command here my local group seems to play almost any era so for me this is blanket reinforcements against long time players in later eras. If im honest though its the Hollander, Eris and Rakshasa I’m most looking forward to adding

@jamesc.7216 2 months ago

I for one would still like to see modernized designs for more of the Dark Ages mechs, Wizkids isn't known for their stellar in house designs. Those were the ones in the clix game and TCG I remember from when I first got into BT. Looking at you Jupiter.

As for these boxes, it's definitely a dogs breakfast. Largely Dark Age and later varieties. My main gripe would have to be the lack of stuff in the boxes. No novels, reused maps, no sheets of punch out figures. I'm only hoping that we get era specific packs or better yet reinforcement boxes.

As always, I agree with commander Knor. Needs more Mad Cat.

@dylanholven6375 2 months ago

I like the new box being built for ilclan because it means they have to put the rules for all the equipment that shows up after the late succ wars instead of being in 8 different books

@HarryVoyager 2 months ago

The more I think about these boxes, the more I think the Alpha Strike box is for the players completely new to Battletech, while the new Core boxes are going to be for the older returning players who know they enjoy the game but dropped out during its lower point.

I can see how the timeline would be an issue for already established local groups, but for me, and the people I'm starting up with, we're actually running the Aces campaign, which are set firmly in the IlClan period, so that's kind of where I'm thinking we will actually see the totally new player path being: Alpha Strike -> Aces, and only then to the Core boxes. But, we shall see.

@mysidia 2 months ago

I didn't realize how specific the mechs were era-wise in this box, thanks for the information.

PS I played my first battletech game at a nearby FLGS and had a blast! We played alpha strike, 4 player free for all. Kind of hectic for a learning game, but I was up for it and it was fun to get to meet 3 different players. It was also a new experience for me as a wargamer, I really enjoyed the match.

@NarcolepticLTD 2 months ago

That seafox back door is the secret sauce :D

@fleetmastereddie6306 2 months ago

I would argue this is very good for the health of the ilClan because a large reason there isn't groups for later eras is there isn't mechs available easily to field the era properly which CGL needs to push as it is their current narrative investment. Without creating boxes that new players will be pushed to start groups in the new eras they will stay unadopted. Where most older mechs from any other era can be moved forward meaning older collections aren't invalidated

@stuckinsidegaming 2 months ago

I hate that they're discontinuing the Clan Invasion box set... I know they're making a box for the mechs that come in it, but it's still frustrating to me. Especially since it was the easiest way to get Elementals, since Catalyst haven't made the Elementals boxes in ages!