Mechwarrior: The Battletech Role Playing Game

BattleTech Role-Playing Game

by L.Ross (ed) Babcock

MechWarrior includes the rules and other game information necessary to role play the men and women who pilot these monsters of destruction. Lists of skills and equipment, as well as extensive rules for personal combat are provided. Also included is substantial background information on MechWarriors and their 'Mechs and on the Successor States and their endless wars. Descriptions of each major house, its leaders, major planets, and its best regular and mercenary 'Mech units provide the beginnings of endless adventures and campaigns. There are also enough facts and figures to run a mercenary unit, including extensive mission tables and: random encounter events. The information on titles and nobility - the goal of every MechWarrior - describes land holdings and, more importantly, annual revenues collected by typical holdings. The most spectacular section of MechWarrior is the 16-page full-color section illustrating some of the uniforms and equipment used by major houses and mercenary units.

Genres: Gaming, Role Playing Games, Science Fiction, Games

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1986

Reviews

[Unto Koskinen · Rating 3 out of 5]

*** for what I assume is in the English edition, but a mere ** for the Finnish edition.

Battletech is a fun game and there'd be plenty of possibilities for roleplaying in the world of the Inner Sphere, but this first edition isn't very good. Feeling more like an RPG-lite addition to the board game and focusing almost purely on the mechwarrior occupation as a playable character, it feels a bit light on rules. Combat system is heavily based in the miniature game (though for some reason not the same system), making the battles very tactical and slow... And clearly assumes the players have the basic Battletech board game, having very little to no information about basic mechs and how to fight in them, only giving information on a few new House-specific mechs.

It does a decent job in providing basic background information of the world of Battletech & Mechwarrior, and also on creating and running a combat unit campaign within the universe, something which is useful for the miniature game as well.

Also, at least the Finnish edition is poorly laid out and edited, including multiple misprinted pages (114 comes before 109, etc.).

While an interesting historical artifact, I would not recommend buying this for gaming purposes in the modern times.

[Arthur B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept, albeit sufficiently reliant on Battletech that you won't really get the best use out of it unless you're also willing to buy into the wargame. Full review: https://refereeingandreflection.wordp...

[Larry Kenney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first role playing game ever! I was in love with the Battletech universe...