BattleTech Beginner Box by Catalyst Game Labs for New Players

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1. Anonymous Verified Buyer – 2 June 2024

   I love this game and have since I was a child when I was first introduced to it.

   I don’t know what the age recommendation on the box says but I learned this game at age 11 or 12 and I’m no one special so I believe any kid at that age can learn the game if they want to.

   NOTE: I didn’t realize until I started looking through the simplified rule set for the Beginner Box that there are some slight rule simplifications that impact the tactics you might learn to use while playing. So, if you end up loving this came as I do, I highly recommend buying the Game of Armored Combat version so that you have the complete rulebook and know that you may have to change your tactics a little when no longer using the simplified rule system.
   

2. Zachary C. Heeren Verified Buyer – 6 September 2024

   This is a great beginner set for anyone who is wanting to get into Battletech or Alpha Strike. It does contain two mechs with some paper cutouts for more, so you can get a lot of mileage out of this set. It’s the perfect set to determine if you really want to play the game which you really should if you like wargaming.
   

3. BlackBiblio Verified Buyer – 5 October 2024

   So let’s break it down.
   The good: quickstart rules are pretty well wxplained, the Wolverine and Griffin mechs are really nicely molded, all the little extras are great
   The bad: the only real complaint I guess is the map is printed on paper instead of a thicker material. It’s a petty complaint for a $20 box that has so much good to it, I know.
   

4. Luna Verified Buyer – 9 November 2024

   What is this Battletech game about? Think of a chess game where pieces do not die easily. They are giant robots (called mechs) that fight back. You have weapons and you have armor. When center torso is destroyed (where fusion reactor is) or when head is destroyed (where pilot is) a mech is destroyed. Think of chess with some basic math for kids. Indeed I have found that parents are using this game to keep primary school kids sharp in math. The game requires you to measure distances, convert situations to numbers, sum, convert numbers to locations. I advise to buy pairs of colored dice, so kids do not need paper, just dice. See the images on how to improve your game. I bought about 70 dice. That would be enough to play a game with 8 robots. It makes the game more fun for kids, and easier for adults. Dice must be bought separately, this game has only one pair of white dice. Battletech tabletop game comes in two flavors: * Battletech beginner box. plastic 2 miniatures. 1 double sided sheet with flat terrain map. Simplified rules. Cheaper. * Battletech a game of armored combat. 8 miniatures. 2 double sided sheet terrain map. Standard rules. If you are not sure if you are going to like Battletech, beginner box is an affordable way to give it a try. I recommend to buy both. Beginner box first. The beginner box game provides some punched cardboard terrain bits so you may want to use these bits to modify terrain in the center of the map to make it more interesting. * If you are a super casual gamer who finds chess complicated, you may want to start using this beginner box. * If you liked this beginner box and the idea of mechanized combat in a tabletop game, and you want MORE, you may want to buy the standard box. The beginner box does not have enough rules to unfold the whole potential and problems of mechanized robot combat. If you are a casual tabletop gamer like I am, you may find the rules intimidating. You may like the visual guide in youtube “Battletech fan” channel that has a Lego instruction manual style. If you intend to play a lot, beginner box will soon will be small in scope and variety, so you may want the standard box. How do you know if you will like Battletech? Battletech is a tabletop simulator of robot combat. That means that attention to detail and imagination is needed. If you prefer instant gratification or you do not like to imagine anything, like Jenga, Battletech may not be for you. But if you are willing to read rules and dedicate time to simulate the inner workings of a robot, sacrificing time for realism, you may love this game. Also Battletech has more than 80 novels published. Some people say Battletech is game of thrones with robots, but indeed Game of Trones came about one decade after Battletech. The most accurate description I could give you about the fiction behind Battletech is that it is like Dune with giant robots. Battletech is a great game to keep kids sharp in math, but novels have mature content, so I would not advise to buy them for kids. You do not need to learn the fiction to enjoy the game. But the stories help to give context to the universe of the game. Unlike other games like Warhammer 40K, you do not have too many restrictions to build your forces, the community of gamers is super friendly and it is easier to learn Battletech than Warhammer 40k. Battletech does not become repetitive in time like Warhammer 40K. If you already bought the beginner box and you find yourself thirsty for more variety, because you already played the scenario described in the manual, you may create missions of search and destroy, defend a target, and capture the flag. For ground targets you may imagine target has 10, 25 or 40 points of armor, and if a target is a turret, you may arm the target with a weapon. I use bottle caps to represent buildings to destroy, or turrets. Also you may use tokens to represent obstacles or impenetrable indestrictible walls to turn your map into a maze, to make your game more interesting. As you see you may create house rules to play the game and add more variety. Or you may imagine stories of a brave mechwarrior knight in a shiny robots going to rescue a princess from an evil man who pilots a giant robot. As you can see, the universe of Battletech has no boundaries. It is a great system, a classic that was born 30 years ago and it still thrives. Classics never age.

   

5. Echelon730 Verified Buyer – 2 January 2025

   Its classic Battletech baybee!!!!!!!!!

   OK look this was a game that used to make pewter miniature robots that had to be glued together, along with the soft requirement of a decent printer for a character sheet. Through 3D printed minis (I am assuming either way they are of high quality) and the idea of dry erase marker safe cards, this is the best way to waffle stomp those House Kurita nerds on your table.

   Heck in 2022 I do believe this is the most accessible collectible mini table top war game out there. Warhammer is vast, deep, amazing and expensive, but the more grounded and more importantly less expensive option out there, and this box is a great gift for that tabletopper in your life
   

6. Anonymous Verified Buyer – 4 February 2025

   Wow is one of the first things I can say about this edition of this game. Ive been a player since the early 1989s when Battletech first hit the shelves. And over the years they release a mew clearer cleaner version of this great game. And this folks is the cleanest beginners styled edition to date. Its content allows a new player or old to sit down and teach or learn the game pretty easily. Which is a big sales point to me.
   The boxset even comes with two high quality plastic miniatures to use or collect. And some double sided thick card stock punch out versions as well. Which honestly is a nice feature. Theres also a nice novella or mini story book to help set your mood about this games universe.
   Nut seriously if your looking at this and wondering if you should buy this to learn the game. I would recommend it. As it will get your feet wet and for $20 its value is just unbeaten. Great game to learn and play. Or collect.
   

7. DPang Verified Buyer – 12 April 2025

   BattleTech is a war game of Mechs, it’s been around so it is overwhelming where to start. this is the BEST way to get into BattleTech. you get 2 high quality plastic mechs, cardboard extra minis and everything you need to start a game. it is rules light, so the extra bits aren’t in this version of the game. there are 2 scenarios to play, one-on-one mech battle, and 4v4 mech battles with the mech cardboard cut outs.

   once you want more rules for the game, get the A Game of Armored Combat box, there is a Combo box that is sold on boardgamesweekly.com so i highly recommend that!

   overall, fun game, take your time to read the rules, and it’ll make sense in combat and it is pretty fast paced.
   

8. Ian Kahler Verified Buyer – 14 April 2025

   This is a great place to start building a greater understanding of this game. I recommend this as a doorway into the more expansive attributes of this historically excellent game