BATTLETECH: From The Darkest Alleys To The Las Vegas Open

What was once only played in the darkest alleys and seediest clubs of Las Vegas, BattleTech will finally be coming out into the light at this year’s LVO. BattleTech is seeing a strong resurgence amongst veteran wargamers and brand new mechwarriors with its timeless rules and brand new plastic models. But what kind of BattleTech you find at the tournament tables this year will be very different from the mech on mech action you’ve most likely seen locally. With both play systems represented, Alpha Strike, the modern or kill team equivalent of that uses true line of sight and 3D terrain, and Classic BattleTech, with hex maps and sheets of paper for each unit, the field is ripe for big plays and bigger action.

With an explosion in players since the BattleTech Kickstarter in 2019, Catalyst Game Labs, owner of BattleTech’s miniature line of products, it would be expected that by now there would be a general consensus on how to play BattleTech at an event. Alas, in this vacuum amongst the myriad of fan formats, two separate groups have created mission packets, rules, and restrictions to organize some amount of a standard of play for LVO.

The Alpha Strike play system will be using a fan-made format known as WolfNet 350 or WN350, where an army roster totaling 350 points is made and games are played using 200 point sections of that roster. Taking a narrative focus, this format restricts rosters to unit availabilities you would find in lore using BattleTech’s own online list builder program. This format has been run at smaller RTTs and is slowly making its way into the larger tournament scene. 

The Classic format event will be run using the BattleTech Tournament Championship Circuit ruleset, or BTCC. This format has been crafted by the Catalyst Demo Team, a group of volunteer players and playtesters who run and organize local events. Army list are mustered at 6500 battle value while also giving one free promotion in gunnery and piloting skill to each unit in an effort to both speed up the game and force more shots to connect. The BTCC ruleset currently allows for mechs that have record sheets that are freely downloaded from the Catalyst website giving a tighter rein on the possible units you can encounter. 

With the outline of a competitive BattleTech meta starting to form it is a great time for veteran and green Mechwarriors to power up and start shifting from casual play to building list for these nascent organized formats. But what kind of units do we expect to see on the top tables this year? For WN350, this format rewards fast and cutthroat play with specialized units being selected for each mission. The small game sizes will push elite Battle Armor units which have been popping up at smaller events to some players’ chagrin.

What these enhanced infantry lack in mobility, they make up for in their ability to throw out enormous amounts of damage, sometimes out performing the mech they rode in on. On the other side of the coin, fast units that can generate a high target movement modifier, or TMM, will be able to maneuver to take and hold objectives while evading incoming fire. Working in tandem these two unit types will be hard to deal with, making quick work of any unprepared commander. 

The BTCC classic format had it’s inaugural unveiling at the Atlantic City Open last year and saw a wide selection of list hitting the table with an equal amount of Inner Sphere, Clan, and mixed faction lists present. Games rewarded the player who could both destroy the enemy while completing movement focused missions. Brad Nichols’s Clan list packed with Long Range Missiles and three Flamer Battle Armor rose to the top scoring 480 out of 500 possible points. Since ACO, the missions have been tweaked to remove any possible attacker-defender bias but they still lean towards having a core of fast units that can secure an objective hex and punish any enemy that tries to push them off. Clan medium and heavy mechs benefit from having a higher than normal movement speed and longer range weapon brackets letting them get there first while slower Inner Sphere mechs will still be out of range. This combined with their ability to transport Battle Armor that once deployed, act as a deterrent to any mech that may try to push up close or get around to the mechs vulnerable rear arc. 

With BattleTech announcing their second Kickstarter in March, the floodgates of competitive BattleTech are starting to open. What may have dominated in local play groups could be illegal by the standards of these dawning formats. Catalyst Game Labs is starting to take interest in the organized event scene and what they see at Las Vegas this month could drive what products they put out in the near future. Mission packs, scenarios, and even miniature packs like the new Alpha Strike Box Set could have a competitive future in mind. Only time will tell what BattleMechs are worth their weight in C-bills or not worth the salvage. 

By Josh of The Mechbay Podcast