Classic Battletech Introductory Rules—Found in This Appeared in 1985
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CLASSIC BATTLETECH RULEBOOK TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 5 Accidental Violation 16 Piloting Skill Rolls 16 COMPONENTS 6 Making Piloting Skill Rolls 16 BattleMech Playing Pieces 6 Falling 18 Record Sheets 6 Armor Diagram 6 COMBAT 19 ’Mech Data 7 Attack Declaration 19 Warrior Data 7 Torso Twist 20 Critical Hit Table 7 Line of Sight 20 Heat Data and Heat Scale 7 Level 20 Mapsheets 8 Intervening Terrain 20 Clear 8 Partial Cover 21 Light Woods 8 Water Hexes 21 Heavy Woods 8 Rough 8 WEAPON ATTACKS 21 Water 8 Ammunition Expenditure 21 Dice 8 Firing Arcs 22 Forward Arc 22 PLAYING THE GAME 9 Left Side Arc 22 Sequence of Play 9 Right Side Arc 22 Initiative Phase 10 Rear Arc 22 Movement Phase 10 Rotating the Firing Arcs 22 Weapon Attack Phase 10 Firing Weapons 22 Physical Attack Phase 10 Base To-Hit Number 23 Heat Phase 10 Modified To-Hit Number 23 End Phase 10 To-Hit Modifiers 23 Unequal Numbers of BattleMechs 11 Prone BattleMechs 25 MechWarriors 11 To-Hit Roll 25 Skills 11 Hit Location 27 Skill Improvement 12 Damage 28 Damaging a MechWarrior 12 Recording Damage 28 Consciousness Rolls 12 Damage Resolution 28 Transferring Damage 29 MOVEMENT 13 Critical Damage 29 Movement Basics 13 BattleMech Critical Hits 30 Movement Direction 14 BattleMech Critical Hit Effects 30 Facing 14 Destroying a BattleMech 32 Facing Change 14 Movement Modes 14 PHYSICAL ATTACKS 32 Standing Still 15 Base To-Hit Number 32 Walking 15 Modified To-Hit Number 32 Running 15 Punch Attacks 33 Jumping 15 Club Attacks 33 Movement Actions 16 Finding A Club 34 Facing Change 16 Physical Weapon Attacks 34 Dropping to the Ground 16 Push Attacks 34 Standing Up 16 Kick Attacks 34 Stacking 16 Charge Attacks 34 2 Table of Contents Damage 35 Location After Attack 35 CREDITS Falls 35 BattleTech Original Design Death from Above Attacks 35 Jordan K. Weisman Weapon Attack Phase 35 L. Ross Babcock III Damage to Target 36 Sam Lewis Damage to Attacker 36 Location After Attack 36 Project Development Falls 36 Randall N. Bills Different Levels 36 Prone BattleMechs 36 Perpetual War by Physical Attacks Against Prone BattleMechs 36 Randall N. Bills BattleMech Displacement 36 Accidental Falls from Above 37 A Brief History of the Inner Sphere by Domino Effect 37 Michael A. Stackpole Diane Piron-Gelman HEAT 38 Christoffer "Bones" Trossen Heat Points 39 Building Up Heat 39 Factions by Recording Heat Buildup 39 Diane Piron-Gelman Effects of Heat 39 Movement Effects 39 Scenarios and Playing BattleTech by Weapon Attack Effects 40 Bryan Nystul Shutdown Effects 40 Ammunition Effects 40 Material from Technical Readout: 3025 by MechWarrior Effects 40 Blaine L. Pardoe Boy F. Petersen, Jr. Scenarios 41 Anthony Pryor Scenario 1: Final Exam 41 Dale L. Kemper Scenario 2: Trial by Fire 43 Shaun Duncan Scenario 3: Divide and Conquer 44 L. R. Butch Leeper L. Ross Babcock III Playing BattleTech 45 Jordan K. Weisman BattleTech Tactics 45 Forest Brown Initiative 45 Kevin Stein Movement 46 Weapon Attacks 49 Material from MechWarrior, Second Edition, by Physical Attacks 50 Donna Ippolito BattleTech Forces 51 Sam Lewis Scouts 51 Strikers 51 Material from 20-Year Update by Skirmishers 52 Jim Musser Brawlers 52 Donna Ippolito Missile Boats 52 Boy F. Petersen, Jr. Snipers 53 Juggernauts 54 Material from BattleTech Master Rules, by Bryan Nystul CONSTRUCTION 55 Design the Chassis 55 Project Editing Add Other Equipment 56 Michelle Lyons EQUIPMENT 61 BattleTech Line Developer blank record sheeT 63 Randall N. Bills tables 64 Table of Contents Production Staff W. Vail, G. Valley, J. VanSchaik, J. Wilhelm, J. Winter and any one Art Direction else we might have missed. Randall N. Bills Additionally, to all of the artists who have breathed visual Graphic Design & Layout life into such a vibrant universe. Of particular note are Doug Jim Nelson Chaffee, Mark Zug, Les Dorshied, Jim Nelson, Chris Moeller, Layout Update Kevin McCann, Duane Loose, Franz Vohwinkel, Fred Hooper, and Adam Jury Mathew Plog. Classic BattleTech Rulebook Cover Art To all of the editors that have turned author manuscripts Franz Vohwinkel into printed products—thanks! Classic BattleTech Universe Cover Art Finally, to every licensee that BattleTech has ever had; thank Franz Vohwinkel you for bringing the wonderful world of BattleTech to new audi- B&W Illustrations ences and unexpected horizons. Mathew Plog Color Illustrations Playtesters Franz Vohwnkel Much as we appreciate and recognize the efforts of those Poster Map of the Inner Sphere who have gone before us, the list is too extensive to reprint here. Øystein Tvedten Thanks again to all those who have worked to make this game what it is today. Acknowledgements The following authors need to be thanked for help- Thanks ing in one way or another to successfully shape a living and Thanks to all of the BattleTech fans, past, present and future. breathing universe over the course of these last fifteen years: You’ve made this twenty + year ride possible and we hope you’ll Ken St. Andre, Dorothy Elizabeth Baker, Samuel Brown Baker join us for another exciting and fun filled fifteen years! II, Herbert A. Beas II, Mike Bently, Randall N. Bills, Mark Bloom, David Boyle, Hugh Browne, Jim Brunk, Alex Bund, Brent Carter, Special Thanks Robert N. Charrette, Loren L. Coleman, Dave Coriveau, Chuck To Mathew Plog and especially Franz Vohwinkel, who took Crane, Robert Cruz, Warner Doles, Elizabeth T. Danforth, Phillip my art notes and under a very tight deadline created one of the J. DeLuca, Shaun Duncan, D. Brad Frazee, Tara Gallagher, Eric best single bodies of BattleTech artwork ever published; to Jim Garvis, Cory Glaberson, Adam Gratun, C. R. Green, Dan “Flake” Nelson who took the extra time to create a graphic style and Grendell, Thomas S. Gressman, Eric Hart, Chris Hartford, Michael presentation that takes both the Classic BattleTech Universe and T. Herbert, Clare W. Hess, Karl Hiesterman, Detlef Howe, Todd Classic BattleTech Introductory Rulebook to a new level. Huettel, Lisa M. Hunt, Walter H. Hunt, Christopher Hussey, Donna Ippolito, Evan Jamieson, Scott Jenkins, Stuart Johnson, Copyright © 2002-2006 WizKids, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Classic BattleTech, J. Andrew Keith, William H. Keith, Jr., Dale L. Kemper, Stephen BattleTech, ’Mech, BattleMech, MechWarrior and WK Games logo are registered Kenson, Peter Killinger, Patrick Kirkland, Camille Klein, Rodney trademarks and/or trademarks of WizKids, Inc in the United States and/or other Knox, Michael Koennecke, James Lanigan, Patrick L. Larkin, countries. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or David Ladyman, Jeffrey Layton, Michael Lee, Sam Lewis, Bryan transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing LiB¢randi, James D. Long, Christine Mackay, Laurie Mair, Gene of the Copyright Owner, nor be otherwise circulated in any form other than that Marcil, Stephané I. Matis, Ardath Mayhar, Patrick McCormack, in which it is published.. David L. McCulloch, Richard K. Meyer, Victor Milán, Tanja Möstel, Michael Mulvihill, Sharon Turner Mulvihill, Jim Musser, Bryan Version 2.0 (October 2006) • Published by FanPro LLC Nystul, Mike Nystul, George O’Dahjungle, Mel Odom, Heiko 1608 N. Milwaukee • Suite 1005 • Chicago, IL 60647 Oertel, Mike O’Green, Blaine Lee Pardoe, Geoff Pass, Michael Pellicciotti, Bear Peters, Tom Peters, Boy F. Petersen, Jr., Donald Find us online: G. Phillips, Diane Piron-Gelman, Anthony Pryor, Susan Putney, [email protected] Peter L. Rice, William Scammell, Lester W. Smith, Peter Smith, (e-mail address for any Classic BattleTech questions) Brant Sponberg, Jerry Stenson, Rick David Stuart, John Thiesen, http://www.classicbattletech.com Robert Thurston, Christoffer Trossen, Ashley Watkins, Robt. (official Classic BattleTech web pages) Wells, Wm. John Wheeler, Andreas Zuber, Gabriel Zupcan and http://www.fanprogames.com last, but certainly not least, L. Ross Babcock III, Jordan Weisman (FanPro web pages) and Michael A. Stackpole. http://www.wizkidsgames.com/mechwarrior/ To the sculptors past and present, who have created a vast, (official MechWarrior web pages) award winning BattleTech miniature line: C. Atkin, B. Bugge, B. http://www.wizkidsgames.com Charrette, J. Garrity, S. Garrity, J. Grace, J. Guthrie, B. Hubbuch, J. (WizKids web pages) Johnson, R. Kerr, R. Kyde, P. Lewis, T. Meier, S. Saunders, D. Summers, http://www.studio2publishing.com (online ordering, sales and distribution) 4 Credits INTRODUCTION lassic BattleTech (CBT) simulates combat between turn and the fundamental game mechanics. The Movement various military vehicles in the thirty-first century. The section describes the rules governing BattleMech movement. kings of the battlefield are the 30-foot-tall humanoid Combat contains the rules for resolving BattleMech weapons titans known as BattleMechs. However, a myriad other and physical attacks. Scenarios contains three BattleTech sce- military units bring additional fun to any game, from narios to test your skills and familiarize you with play, as well as CCombat Vehicles to Support Vehicles, infantry to aerospace demonstrating the variety of possible BattleTech missions. These units and more. scenarios can be played again and again or modified to create While the full depth and enjoyment of Classic BattleTech an endless array of different battles. Playing BattleTech provides can be experienced through a combined-arms use of ’Mechs, an in-depth look at the tactics involved in becoming an expert vehicles, infantry and so on, the following three-tiered system player, once the basics have been learned. Construction pro- has been created to simply and easily transition players into vides instructions for custom-designing new ’Mechs from the everything Classic BattleTech has to offer. ground up. Finally, the Equipment section provides descriptions The Quick-Start Rules introduce players to the basic con- for various weapons carried by BattleMechs. cepts of the game through ’Mech vs.