Well, let's get the stuff out of the way. I think I told you this earlier, but I am not at home and am on dial-up, so I can't "quickly" check - I can't do anything "quickly' on dial-up. Anyway, the doctor's appointment ran far longer than usual and I went right to sleep when I got home, then I came over to my folks' house for the evening. I did not pay my utility bill in time (though I did get it into the night deposit box and will have to cross my fingers), so they might shut-off my lights tomorrow. In which case, I won't be able to bring you anything then, either.
But none of this is why I am writing.
I came over to my folks' house for the evening just to get the hell away for a minute and I'm bored senseless. That's why I so rarely leave, even though I know sitting around my house isn't good for me. I brought the BattleTech books and have been reading MechWarrior all afternoon.
So I wanted to ask y'all a few questions:
I know things have changed since the books I'm working from were published, so there's no need to discuss that; what would be the best route to go just to throw-together a unit with some 'mechs and make them fight? I figure I am going to use Archetypes to throw a unit together and cover the basics (medic, mechanic, fighter pilot, etc.) and then run them against a basic NPC unit. I just haven't played in like 20 years and want to run through it to refamiliarize myself with the system and everything.
I remember one of the major turn-offs for me: the fact that pretty much everything in BattleTech is set in stone. I always hated games like that; what's the point in playing a game where everything important has already happened and you know you aren't going to make a difference in any major way? And the books make no qualms about that: they literally tell you that you are playing No-Names living in the shadows of historical figures whom you will never meet.
So I'm going to keep reading and learn the history and all of that, but I am not going to memorize it the way good BT players do; I'm going to pick and choose and maybe create a world unknown to the printed materials on which to play my little adventures. It's not like it matters, anyway.
Still, any suggestions or anything? I'm all ears.
Depending on the lights situation, we'll be back tomorrow afternoon.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
A rambling melange of pop-culture.
3 comments:
Hey Manodogs, You might want to check out a new sourcebook called Starterbook: Sword and Dragon. It's got a campaign structure that's pretty flexible and fun and gets into the history of the units and the mechwarriors within them which might allow for some RP if you want.
In most of my Battletech games we don't tend to worry much about the pilot other then piloting/gunnery skills.
You would not be the first one to cast aside the canon universe and strike out with a unique spin on the space opera that is Battletech.
I assume you are talking about the RPG and not so much the board game.
I've never been big on RPGs so not much help I can give you.
Perhaps, if you can stand the book keeping and bureaucracy, the Fan Grand Council may be interesting. Forum goers role play the great house leaders in a grand strategic forum based game. But there is quite a bit of role playing involved. That is, if they can get their rules written is all.
Link!
http://www.classicbattletech.com/forums/index.php/board,41.0.html
Thanks for the comments and suggestions, guys!
Yes, I am referring most specifically to the RPG - though, as I said, I plan to use the two in conjunction. I see the boardgame as the "battle system" for MechWarrior, even though it came first, and MechWarrior as the logical extension of the boardgame.
I have so many other things to finish first that I have no idea when I'll get the chance to actually do anything, but still...
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