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''BattleTech'' is a
wargaming A wargame is a strategy game in which two or more players command opposing armed forces in a realistic simulation of an armed conflict. Wargaming may be played for recreation, to train military officers in the art of strategic thinking, or to s ...
and
military science fiction Military science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction that features the use of science fiction technology, mainly weapons, for military purposes and usually principal characters who are members of a military organization involved in military a ...
franchise launched by
FASA Corporation Fasa ( fa, فسا, Fasā, also Romanized as Fassa) is a city and capital of Fasa County, Fars Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population was 110,825, in 33,379 families. Fasa is the fourth most populous city of the province. The city date ...
in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2001, which was in turn acquired by
Topps The Topps Company, Inc. is an American company that manufactures chewing gum, candy, and collectibles. Formerly based in New York City, Topps is best known as a leading producer of American Football Card, American football, Baseball card, baseb ...
in 2003; and published since 2007 by
Catalyst Game Labs Catalyst Game Labs (CGL) was created in May 2007 by InMediaRes Productions, LLC for the purpose of publishing print ''Shadowrun'' and ''Classic BattleTech'' sourcebooks.Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
's
Xbox Game Studios Xbox Game Studios (previously known as Microsoft Studios, Microsoft Game Studios, and Microsoft Games) is an American video game publisher and part of the Microsoft Gaming division based in Redmond, Washington. It was established in March 2000, ...
; Catalyst Game Studios licenses the franchise from Topps. The series began with FASA's debut of the
board game Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well. Many board games feature a comp ...
''
BattleTech ''BattleTech'' is a wargaming and military science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2001, which was in turn acquired by Topps in 2003; and published since 2007 by Catalyst Game Labs. The trademark ...
'' (originally named ''
Battledroids ''Battledroids'' is a 1984 board game published by FASA. It would be renamed to BattleTech for its second edition in 1985 and spawn the ''BattleTech''/''MechWarrior'' military science fiction gaming franchise and setting with numerous board games, ...
'') by
Jordan Weisman Jordan Weisman is an American game designer, author, and serial entrepreneur who has founded five game design companies, each in a different game genre and segment of the industry. Biography Weisman graduated from Francis W. Parker High School, ...
and
L. Ross Babcock III L. Ross Babcock III is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games. Career When Jordan Weisman asked his friends in 1980 if anyone else would join him in starting a company to print adventures and deckplans for '' Traveller'' ...
and has since grown to include numerous expansions to the original game, several board games,
role playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal a ...
s,
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
s, a
collectible card game A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategy game, strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards, introduced with ''Magic: The Gathering'' in ...
, a series of more than 100 novels, and an animated
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
.


Gameplay

At its most basic, the boardgames of ''BattleTech'' are played on a map sheet composed of hexagonal terrain tiles. The combat units are roughly humanoid armored combat units called BattleMechs, powered by fusion reactors and armed with a variety of weapons. Typically, these are represented on the game board by two-inch-tall miniature figurines that the players can paint to their own specifications, although older publications such as the 1st edition included small scale plastic models originally created for the ''
Macross is a Japanese science fiction mecha anime media franchise/media mix, created by Studio Nue (most prominently mecha designer, writer and producer Shōji Kawamori) and Artland in 1982. The franchise features a fictional history of Earth and the ...
'' TV series, and the 2nd and 4th edition boxed sets included small cardboard pictures (front and back images) that were set in rubber bases to represent the units. The game is played in turns, each of which represents 10 seconds of real time, with each turn composed of multiple phases.


Setting

''BattleTechs fictional history covers the approximately 1,150 years from the end of the 20th century to the middle of the 32nd. Most works in the series are set during the early to middle decades of the 31st century, though a few publications concern earlier ages. ''MechWarrior: Dark Ages'' and its related novels take place in the mid 3100s. A detailed timeline stretching from the late 20th century to the mid-32nd describes humanity's technological, social and political development and spread through space both in broad historical terms and through accounts of the lives of individuals who experienced and shaped that history, with an emphasis on (initially) the year 3025 and creating an ongoing storyline from there. Generally, ''BattleTech'' assumes that its history is identical to real-world history up until approximately 1984, when the reported histories begin to diverge; in particular, the game designers did not foresee the fall of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
, which plays a major role past 1990 in the fictional ''BattleTech'' history. Individual lifestyles remain largely unchanged from those of modern times, due in part to stretches of protracted interplanetary warfare during which technological progress slowed or even reversed. Cultural, political and social conventions vary considerably between worlds, but
feudalism Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...
is widespread, with many states ruled by hereditary
lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or ar ...
s and other nobility, below which are numerous
social class A social class is a grouping of people into a set of Dominance hierarchy, hierarchical social categories, the most common being the Upper class, upper, Middle class, middle and Working class, lower classes. Membership in a social class can for ...
es. A key feature of the ''BattleTech'' universe is the absence of non-human intelligent life. Despite one or two isolated encounters in novels, mankind is the only
sentient Sentience is the capacity to experience feelings and sensations. The word was first coined by philosophers in the 1630s for the concept of an ability to feel, derived from Latin '' sentientem'' (a feeling), to distinguish it from the ability to ...
species. Above all, the central theme of ''BattleTech'' is conflict, consistent with the franchise's
wargaming A wargame is a strategy game in which two or more players command opposing armed forces in a realistic simulation of an armed conflict. Wargaming may be played for recreation, to train military officers in the art of strategic thinking, or to s ...
core. Interstellar and civil wars, planetary battles, factionalization and infighting, as well as institutionalized combat in the shape of arena contests and
duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...
ling, form the grist of both novelized fiction and game backstories. The level of technology evident in ''BattleTech'' is an unusual blend of the highly futuristic and the nearly modern. The universe is largely based in
hard science fiction Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by concern for scientific accuracy and logic. The term was first used in print in 1957 by P. Schuyler Miller in a review of John W. Campbell's '' Islands of Space'' in the Novem ...
concepts — much of the technology used is either similar in advancement to that of the present day, or based on technology considered plausible in the near-future, such as the
railgun A railgun or rail gun is a linear motor device, typically designed as a weapon, that uses Electromagnet, electromagnetic force to launch high velocity projectiles. The projectile normally does not contain explosives, instead relying on the proj ...
. A handful of exceptions, notably
faster-than-light Faster-than-light (also FTL, superluminal or supercausal) travel and communication are the conjectural propagation of matter or information faster than the speed of light (). The special theory of relativity implies that only particles with zero ...
interstellar travel Interstellar travel is the hypothetical travel of spacecraft from one star system, solitary star, or planetary system to another. Interstellar travel is expected to prove much more difficult than interplanetary spaceflight due to the vast dif ...
and
superluminal communication Superluminal communication is a hypothetical process in which information is sent at faster-than-light (FTL) speeds. The current scientific consensus is that faster-than-light communication is not possible, and to date it has not been achieved in ...
, depend on purely fictional or speculative principles. Radically advanced tech mixes with seemingly anachronistic technologies such as
internal combustion engines An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal combus ...
and
projectile weapons A ranged weapon is any weapon that can engage targets beyond hand-to-hand distance, i.e. at distances greater than the physical reach of the user holding the weapon itself. The act of using such a weapon is also known as shooting. It is someti ...
.
Artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...
,
nanotechnology Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal o ...
,
androids An android is a humanoid robot or other artificial being often made from a flesh-like material. Historically, androids were completely within the domain of science fiction and frequently seen in film and television, but advances in robot techno ...
, and many other staples of future fiction are generally absent or downplayed. Incessant warfare is generally blamed for the uneven advancement, the destruction of industry and institutes of learning over the centuries of warfare having resulted in the loss of much technology and knowledge. As rivalries and conflicts have dragged on, advanced technologies are redeveloped for the battlefield.


History


Conception

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-based FASA Corporation's original 1984 game focused on enormous robotic, semi-humanoid battle machines battling in a science-fiction feudalistic Dark Age setting. The game was at first called ''
Battledroids ''Battledroids'' is a 1984 board game published by FASA. It would be renamed to BattleTech for its second edition in 1985 and spawn the ''BattleTech''/''MechWarrior'' military science fiction gaming franchise and setting with numerous board games, ...
''. The name of the game was changed to ''
BattleTech ''BattleTech'' is a wargaming and military science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2001, which was in turn acquired by Topps in 2003; and published since 2007 by Catalyst Game Labs. The trademark ...
'' in the second edition because
George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...
and
Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is a business segment of The Walt Disney Company. The studio is best known for creating and producing the ''Star Wars'' and ' ...
claimed the rights to the term " droid"; the machines themselves were renamed
BattleMech BattleMechs (often abbreviated 'Mechs) are large walking war machines that feature prominently in the fictional universe of ''BattleTech''. 'Mechs, which are generally either bipedal or quadrupedal in configuration, are controlled by human pilot ...
s from the second edition onward. The game components included: *First edition: two full-color terrain maps, 48 stand-up BattleMech counters, four sheets of playing markers, plastic counter stands, dice, and a rule book. *Third edition: two color maps, a pack of record sheets, and fourteen 2" plastic miniatures of various BattleMech war machines. *Fourth edition: two rule-books, a booklet of record sheets, 48 stand-up playing pieces, and a sheet of 144 insignia stickers. Rather than create their own original robot art, FASA decided to use already-extant designs that had originally been created for a variety of different Japanese
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
, including ''
Dougram is a 75-episode anime television series, created by Ryosuke Takahashi and Sunrise, and aired in Japan from October 23, 1981 to March 25, 1983 on TV Tokyo. A 1983 full-length feature film, ''Dougram: Documentary of the Fang of the Sun'', sum ...
'', ''
Crusher Joe is a series of science fiction novels written by Haruka Takachiho and published by Asahi Sonorama from 1977 to 2005 (an additional trilogy was published between 2013 and 2016). During the late 1970s one of the founding fathers of Studio ...
'', and ''
Macross is a Japanese science fiction mecha anime media franchise/media mix, created by Studio Nue (most prominently mecha designer, writer and producer Shōji Kawamori) and Artland in 1982. The franchise features a fictional history of Earth and the ...
''. The rights to these images were licensed from '' Twentieth Century Imports (TCI)''. In later years, FASA abandoned these images as a result of a lawsuit brought against them by
Playmates Toys Playmates Toys Limited is a Hong Kong toy company. The company was founded in Hong Kong in 1966 by Sam Chan as Playmates Industrial, manufacturing dolls for other companies. In 1975, Playmates began marketing their own line of pre-school toys, ...
and Harmony Gold over the use of said images. In 2007, Classic BattleTech line developer
Randall N. Bills Randall N. Bills is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games. Career Randall N. Bills had been a fan of ''Battletech'' back in the early 1990s when he met then-line-developer Bryan Nystul at Gen Con 27 over an all-night ga ...
explained that FASA had sued Playmates over the use of images owned by FASA. Although Playmates was ordered to stop using the images in question, FASA received no financial compensation. FASA realized that the use of licensed images made them vulnerable to lawsuits and worried that such a suit would bankrupt the company. Following the suit, FASA made the decision to use only images that they owned in future products. The anime-sourced BattleMechs continued to be referenced in-universe, but their images were no longer seen in new sourcebooks. This led them to be termed by fans as "the Unseen". When
Fantasy Productions Fantasy Productions Medienvertriebsgesellschaft GmbH (a.k.a. FanPro) is a German publishing company based in Erkrath. History The company was founded in 1983 by Ulrich Kiesow, Werner Fuchs and Hans Joachim Alpers to produce small metal miniatu ...
licensed the property, these "Unseen" images were expanded to include all art produced "out-of-house" – that is, whose copyrights resided with the creators, not the company. Catalyst Game Labs has continued this practice.


Expansions

The game's popularity spawned several variants and expansions to the core system, including ''
CityTech ''CityTech'' is a FASA wargame first published in 1986 and set in the ''BattleTech'' fictional universe. Gameplay ''CityTech'' provided additional rules for simulating combat with infantry and vehicles rather than just BattleMechs, which were t ...
'' which fleshed out urban operations, infantry, and vehicle combat, '' AeroTech'' which focused on air and space-based operations, and ''
BattleSpace Battlespace or battle-space is a term used to signify a unified military strategy to integrate and combine armed forces for the military theatre of operations, including air, information, land, sea, cyber and outer space to achieve military ...
'' which detailed large spacecraft combat. FASA also published numerous sourcebooks, known as Technical Readouts, which featured specifications for new combat units that players could select from. However, despite the large number of such pre-designed BattleMechs, vehicles, aerospace units and other military hardware, the creators also established a system of custom design rules, enabling players to generate their own units and field them in combat. In addition to game rule books, FASA published several background books detailing the history, political and social structures of various factions in the game, including all five Great Houses of the inner sphere, ComStar, the Periphery States and the fallen Star League. FASA launched two additional systems to complement the core game: ''
BattleTroops ''BattleTroops'' is a FASA wargame set in the ''BattleTech'' universe, simulating infantry combat. It was expanded to include Clan Elementals with ClanTroops. It was published in 1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cy ...
'', an infantry combat system, and '' BattleForce'', a large-scale combat simulator governing the actions of massed ''BattleTech'' units. ''
The Succession Wars The ''BattleTech 1 & BattleMech 1'' wargaming franchise includes many authorized titles in various face personality genres, including tabletop wargames, roleplaying games, collectible card games and video arcade PS1 and PC computer games. Boar ...
'', a board game released in 1987, is one of only two purely strategic titles of the series (the other being "The Inner Sphere in Flames" from the Combat Operations book). ''The Succession Wars'' is played on a political
star map A star chart is a celestial map of the night sky with astronomical objects laid out on a grid system. They are used to identify and locate constellations, stars, nebulae, galaxies, and planets. They have been used for human navigation since ...
, with players trying to capture regions of space. Recent years have seen a trend of consolidating the expansions into "core products" for efficiency. Beginning under FanPro's aegis, then continued under Catalyst Game Labs, the various rulesets have been combined into a series of Core Rulebooks: *Total Warfare (TW) integrates the original boardgame with ''CityTech'', ''BattleTroops'', and parts of ''AeroTech 2'' (itself a consolidation of ''AeroTech'' and ''BattleSpace'') pertaining to atmospheric operations (such as simplified rules for Dropship operations, and the use of AeroTech Fighters in atmospheric combat). *Tactical Operations (TO) supplements ''Total Warfare'' with rules for expanded game-play (advanced rules). These include an expanded weapons / equipment table listing (Lostech), advanced unit types (such as "mobile structures", planetary fortresses, and "large support vehicles") as well as numerous optional gameplay enhancements for planetary-level conquests (consolidating ''Maximum Tech'' and other expansion packs, like ''Explorer Corps''). *Strategic Operations (SO) consolidates the rules for multi-game campaigns within a single star system (such as unit morale and management, repair and maintenance, equipment salvage, in-game construction, and unit-level economics) with the remaining ''AeroTech 2'' rules omitted from TW. These include the introduction of capital-level spacecraft (Jumpships / Warships / Space Stations / Fighter Squadrons) and equipment,
space warfare Space warfare is hypothetical combat in which one or more belligerents are situated in outer space. The scope of space warfare therefore includes ''ground-to-space warfare'', such as attacking satellites from the Earth; ''space-to-space warfa ...
rules, and the use of space travel as a gameplay element. A revised version of ''BattleForce'' is also consolidated into the book. *TechManual (TM) consolidates the customization rules with technical fluff from various products for units compliant to ''Total Warfare'' rules. (Construction rules for the missing units are listed in TO or SO, as these units are not considered to be "tournament legal" for gameplay). * Interstellar Operations (IO) was originally a project that had been available in beta form. The book was designed to introduce rules for faction-wide operations (such as entire Clans / Succession Houses / Empires) across multiple campaigns and star systems—up to and including the entire Inner Sphere. The book itself would have also included an expansion of additional technologies which stipulated per time period in the game universe's history, including revised rules for more advanced types of vehicles such as Land-Air 'Mechs, Superheavy BattleMechs, and unique period technologies. The size of the materials slated for the book forced its splitting into two volumes; the second, which was initially known as the ''Campaign Companion'', was renamed. * Campaign Operations (CO) is the self-contained companion book to Interstellar Operations. The book provides core rules handling player campaigns, using different rules sets. Taking older legacy rules found in previous source books, CO presented them in a singular core rulebook for better accessibility for the player. Included in the publication are rules to build environments for players to create and maintain combat units to be played in the game universe and rules allowing them to design their own worlds and star systems if desired. *BattleMech Manual is an alternative Core Rulebook to Total Warfare. Unlike Total Warfare, the Battlemech Manual ignores all elements of combined operations, instead presenting concise and developed rules for playing games of Battletech focused exclusively on BattleMechs fighting against Battlemechs. The book is marketed as "table usage friendly" and serves as a complete, standalone game experience for players who want a single book for Mech focused combat.


After FASA

After the FASA Corporation closed in 2000, Wizkids bought the rights to the game in January 2001. They reworked the IP to launch their MechWarrior: Dark Age collectible miniatures game, but licensed the rights to continue to publish products for the old game to FanPro (itself a subsidiary of
Fantasy Productions Fantasy Productions Medienvertriebsgesellschaft GmbH (a.k.a. FanPro) is a German publishing company based in Erkrath. History The company was founded in 1983 by Ulrich Kiesow, Werner Fuchs and Hans Joachim Alpers to produce small metal miniatu ...
). Topps bought Wizkids in 2003, but this did not change any publishing agreements at that time. FanPro held the license to the original tabletop game (which they rebranded as "Classic BattleTech") until 2007. At that point
Catalyst Game Labs Catalyst Game Labs (CGL) was created in May 2007 by InMediaRes Productions, LLC for the purpose of publishing print ''Shadowrun'' and ''Classic BattleTech'' sourcebooks.Catalyst Game Labs Catalyst Game Labs (CGL) was created in May 2007 by InMediaRes Productions, LLC for the purpose of publishing print ''Shadowrun'' and ''Classic BattleTech'' sourcebooks.

Reception

In the March 1988 edition of ''
Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
'' (Issue 131),
Jim Bambra Jim Bambra (born 1956)Jim Bambra: Director Summary
Company Check Ltd
is a Briti ...
called the
first edition The bibliographical definition of an edition includes all copies of a book printed from substantially the same setting of type, including all minor typographical variants. First edition According to the definition of ''edition'' above, a b ...
''BattleTech'' tabletop game "a brilliantly conceived and presented game of robotic combat set in the war-torn universe of the Successor States", and complimented the high production values of the game components. Bambra concluded with a recommendation: "Try the ''Battletech'' game. If you like it, it might inspire you to form your own BattleMech unit and battle your way across the Successor States." In the June 1993 edition of ''Dragon'' (Issue 194),
Rick Swan Rick Swan is a game designer and author who worked for TSR. His work for TSR, mostly for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, appeared from 1989 to 1995. Swan also wrote ''The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games'' (1990), published by St. Martin's Pre ...
reviewed FASA's third edition and liked the rules revisions "presenting the fundamentals in clear, simple language." Swan also admired the game's post-apocalyptic vision, calling it "one of the hobby's richest settings." He concluded with a recommendation to buy the third edition: "While the previous version was a class act ... the third edition stands as the definitive treatment, a handsome upgrade worth the purchase price even for owners of the old editions." In the August 1997 edition of ''Dragon'' (Issue 238), Rick Swan reviewed FASA's fourth edition of ''BattleTech,'' and called it "A snap to learn... as exciting as it is addictive; there are few gaming experiences more satisfying than blasting giant robots into scrap metal." However, for people who already owned the third edition, Swan suggested that "there's no compelling reason to invest in version four."


Reviews

* ''
Casus Belli A (; ) is an act or an event that either provokes or is used to justify a war. A ''casus belli'' involves direct offenses or threats against the nation declaring the war, whereas a ' involves offenses or threats against its ally—usually one b ...
'' #32 (Apr 1986) * ''
Casus Belli A (; ) is an act or an event that either provokes or is used to justify a war. A ''casus belli'' involves direct offenses or threats against the nation declaring the war, whereas a ' involves offenses or threats against its ally—usually one b ...
'' #45 (June 1988) *''
Magia i Miecz ''Magia i Miecz'' (Polish language, Polish for: ''Magic and Sword'') was the first Role-playing game, RPG-oriented magazine in Poland. Started in 1993, it ceased publishing in 2002 after 103 issues. The publisher was Wydawnictwo MAG. Tomasz Kołod ...
'' (Issue 4 - 1993) (Polish)


Spin-offs

The ''BattleTech'' franchise first extended beyond the tabletop wargame format with the release of '' MechWarrior'', a
role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...
in which players portray BattleMech pilots or other characters in the 31st century. The RPG system has been republished in several editions and expanded by various sourcebooks and supplements. In 1996, FASA also introduced the '' BattleTech Collectible Card Game'', a CCG developed by
Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast LLC (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and List of science fiction themes, science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for ga ...
, creators of the popular ''
Magic: The Gathering ''Magic: The Gathering'' (colloquially known as ''Magic'' or ''MTG'') is a tabletop and digital collectable card game created by Richard Garfield. Released in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast (now a subsidiary of Hasbro), ''Magic'' was the first ...
''. WizKids, owners of the ''BattleTech'' franchise after 2001, introduced a collectable miniatures-based variant of the classic tabletop game called '' MechWarrior: Dark Age'' in 2002 (later renamed '' MechWarrior: Age of Destruction''). The game incorporates WizKids' "
Clix System Clix is a miniatures wargaming system developed by WizKids. It is characterized by the use of a dial wheel in the base of miniature figurines. The dial can be turned to reveal hidden information, representing the changing statistics of the ...
", a means of tracking the combat statistics and abilities of each figure by turning a dial in its base. BattleMechs, the hulking flagship units of the franchise, made a natural subject for computer emulation, and so in 1988
Infocom Infocom was an American software company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that produced numerous works of interactive fiction. They also produced a business application, a relational database called ''Cornerstone (software), Cornerstone''. ...
released a PC/Commodore 64/Amiga based RPG called '' BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception''. It was later followed up with a sequel, '' BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Revenge'' in 1990. Both games were reasonably well received, although aside from storyline continuity the second game held few similarities to its predecessor. The first pure simulation of BattleMech combat, however, was released for computers in 1989. Titled '' MechWarrior'' and published by
Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...
, the single-player game gave users the opportunity to pilot a range of Mechs and engage in combat against computer-controlled opponents. Sequels ''
MechWarrior 2 ''MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat'' is a vehicle simulation game developed and published by Activision, released in 1995 as part of the '' MechWarrior'' series of video games in the ''BattleTech'' franchise. The game is set in 3057, and is pla ...
'' (1995), '' MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries'' (1996), ''
MechWarrior 3 ''MechWarrior 3'' is a vehicle simulation game, part of the '' MechWarrior'' series. It featured a new 3D accelerated graphics engine at the time of its release. The game contains over 20 missions, with access to 18 different mechs. A novelizatio ...
'' (1999) and '' MechWarrior 4'' (2000), and '' MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries'' (2002) created simulations of progressively higher technical sophistication. "Mekpaks" for ''MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries'' made by Mektek were released, adding new weapons, Mechs and graphics. A group also modded
Crysis ''Crysis'' is a first-person shooter video game series created by Crytek. The series revolves around a group of military protagonists with " nanosuits", technologically advanced suits of armor that give them enhanced physical strength, speed, ...
for the release of a ''BattleTech'' game known as '' MechWarrior: Living Legends'' and the first public beta was released on December 26, 2009. A possible ''MechWarrior 5'' was being produced, though it lingered in development for about a year and was eventually canceled. Originally, Smith & Tinker owned the ''BattleTech'' electronic rights, but, after failing to find funding for a new ''MechWarrior'' game, the rights to the series were bought by
Piranha Games Piranha Games Inc. is a Canadian video game developer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company was founded by Russ Bullock, President and Executive Producer, and Bryan Ekman, VP and Creative Director. Piranha Games is one of the oldest ...
in 2011, who had originally been working with Smith & Tinker to create MechWarrior 5. On July 9, 2009, it was confirmed that the franchise would be rebooted. Further trailers were released and it was confirmed that the timeline would be set around 3015. Though it seemed that the legal troubles which originally plagued FASA due to the similarities between ''BattleTech'' mechs and those in Robotech/Macross had returned to cause some troubles for Piranha Games, the company later released a statement noting that their primary troubles had been with finding a publisher, which eventually led to the announcement of a
free-to-play Free-to-play (F2P or FtP) video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content without paying or do not require paying to continue playing. Free-to-play is distinct from traditional commercial software, which ...
reboot called '' Mechwarrior Online'', set around the start of the clan invasions. The game was published in 2013 by Infinite Games Publishing, the same company which later published ''
MechWarrior Tactics ''MechWarrior Tactics'' was a free-to-play turn-based tactics video game set in the BattleTech universe. It was originally under development by Roadhouse Interactive and ACRONYM Games, but was taken over by Blue Lizard Games and published by Infin ...
''. IGP filed for bankruptcy and sold off the rights in December 2014. Piranha Games continued work on '' MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries'', was released as an Epic Games exclusive in December 2019. The franchise saw its first online-dedicated game with '' Multiplayer BattleTech: EGA'' in 1992, which was followed by '' Multiplayer Battletech: Solaris'' in 1996. 1994 saw the series' first console original title, the simply titled ''
BattleTech ''BattleTech'' is a wargaming and military science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2001, which was in turn acquired by Topps in 2003; and published since 2007 by Catalyst Game Labs. The trademark ...
'' for the
Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...
. Other notable titles include the ''MechCommander'' series for the PC ('' MechCommander'' in 1998 and ''
MechCommander 2 ''MechCommander 2'' is a 2001 real-time tactics video game based on the BattleTech/ MechWarrior franchise, developed by FASA Interactive and distributed by Microsoft. It is a sequel to '' MechCommander''. Development history In 2006, Microsoft r ...
'' in 2001), the ''MechAssault'' series (''
MechAssault ''MechAssault'' is a video game released for the Xbox notable for being one of the first games to support Xbox Live online multiplayer. Developed by Day 1 Studios and published by Microsoft, ''MechAssault'' was initiated when Denny Thorley of Day ...
'' and '' MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf'' in 2002 and 2004, respectively, for the
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
, and '' MechAssault: Phantom War'' in 2006 for the
Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
). A new
turn-based strategy game A turn-based strategy (TBS) game is a strategy game (usually some type of wargame, especially a strategic-level wargame) where players take turns when playing. This is distinguished from real-time strategy (RTS), in which all players play simu ...
, simply titled ''
BattleTech ''BattleTech'' is a wargaming and military science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2001, which was in turn acquired by Topps in 2003; and published since 2007 by Catalyst Game Labs. The trademark ...
'', was released in April 2018. The game was developed by
Harebrained Schemes Harebrained Schemes, LLC is an American video game developer based in Seattle, Washington. It was co-founded in 2011 by Jordan Weisman and Mitch Gitelman. Prior to founding Harebrained Schemes, Weisman and Gitelman worked together on the '' MechC ...
, and led by
Jordan Weisman Jordan Weisman is an American game designer, author, and serial entrepreneur who has founded five game design companies, each in a different game genre and segment of the industry. Biography Weisman graduated from Francis W. Parker High School, ...
, the creator of the series.


Magazines

BattleTech material appeared in various publications from other companies, ranging from articles in professional gaming magazines to fanzines devoted exclusively to the game. FASA provided some material to gaming magazines, allowed associated fan clubs like MechForce to publish newsletters, and treated some magazines like BattleTechology as semi-official publications. Some of this material was treated as canon at the time and some of it, especially 'Mech designs, came to be used in official product. An exhaustive list is impossible but more notable publications are listed below. Magazines with some BattleTech articles: * ''
Challenge Challenge may refer to: * Voter challenging or caging, a method of challenging the registration status of voters * Euphemism for disability * Peremptory challenge, a dismissal of potential jurors from jury duty Places Geography *Challenge, C ...
'' (
Game Designers' Workshop Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) was a wargame and role-playing game publisher from 1973 to 1996. Many of their games are now carried by other publishers. History Game Designers' Workshop was originally established June 22, 1973. The founding m ...
) - #30, 35, 36, 38, 39, 44, 47, 48, 51, 54, 55, 60, 61, 67–70, 71, 73 * ''Dragon'' - issues #114, 144, 161–163, 166 * ''
Mecha Press ''Mecha Press'' is a North American anime and manga magazine that was published by IANVS Publications in the early 1990s. The magazine was released on a roughly bimonthly schedule, with 5 to 6 issues per year. Each issue usually focused on on ...
'' (IANVS) - issues #0, 1, 3, 4, 7-17 * ''
The Space Gamer ''The Space Gamer'' was a magazine dedicated to the subject of science fiction and fantasy board games and tabletop role-playing games. It quickly grew in importance and was an important and influential magazine in its subject matter from the la ...
'' (Steve Jackson Games) - issues #75, 78–80, 83, 85 * ''Stardate'' (
FASA Fasa ( fa, فسا, Fasā, also Romanized as Fassa) is a city and capital of Fasa County, Fars Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population was 110,825, in 33,379 families. Fasa is the fourth most populous city of the province. The city date ...
/Associates International/Reluctant Publishing) - issues Volume 1 #5/6; Volume 3 #1-6 ** ''StarDrive'' a one-shot from Reluctant Publishing * ''
White Wolf A white wolf or Arctic wolf is a mammal of the ''Canidae'' family and a subspecies of the gray wolf. It may also refer to: Organizations * White Wolf (band), a Canadian heavy metal band * White Wolf (band), white power oi band from the USA * ...
'' - issues #7-10, 33, 41 Fanzines and magazines dedicated to BattleTech: * ''
BattleTechnology ''BattleTechnology'' is a magazine that was published irregularly between 1987 and 1995 by Pacific Rim Publishing Company dedicated to ''BattleTech'', a tabletop game of futuristic combat published at the time by FASA Corporation. The magazine in ...
'' (Jeffry Tibbetts/Pacific Rim Publishing, 1987–1995, 23 issues) - had semi-official status and featured material from several writers of official BattleTech fiction. * ''Commando Quarterly'' (FanPro Commandos, 7 issues, 2003–2006) * ''Future Wars'' (Herb Barents, 42 issues) - 41 regular issues and a best-of * ''Mech'' (MechForce North America, 1990–1995, 18 issues) - newsletter, replaced by ''MechForce Quarterly'' in 1995 * ''MechForce Quarterly'' (21 issues, 1995-?) - newsletter of MechForce North America * ''
Shrapnel Shrapnel may refer to: Military * Shrapnel shell, explosive artillery munitions, generally for anti-personnel use * Shrapnel (fragment), a hard loose material Popular culture * ''Shrapnel'' (Radical Comics) * ''Shrapnel'', a game by Adam C ...
'' (Catalyst Game Labs, 2020-) - ongoing digital house publication


Other media


BattleTech Center

The ''BattleTech'' creators' goal of creating an immersive BattleMech simulation came about 1990 with the opening of the first
BattleTech Center BattleTech Centers are commercial virtual entertainment venues that feature multiplayer virtual combat in the fictional ''BattleTech'' universe. The games are played in fully enclosed cockpits with multiple screens, joysticks, and rudder pedals. T ...
at the North Pier Mall in Chicago. The BattleTech Center featured 16 networked, full-sized cockpits or "pods" that resembled a BattleMech cockpit with over 80 separate controls. Each player selected a 'Mech to pilot into combat against up to seven other human players in the other cockpits. Virtual World Entertainment, the company that managed the centers, later opened many other Virtual World centers around the world. It later merged with FASA Interactive Technologies (FIT) to form Virtual World Entertainment Group (VWEG) in order to better capitalize on FASA's properties. In 1999,
Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation, multinational technology company, technology corporation producing Software, computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at th ...
purchased VWEG to integrate FIT into Microsoft Game Studios and sold VWE. VWE continues to develop and support the current ''BattleTech'' VR platform called the Tesla II system, featuring ''BattleTech: Firestorm''. Members of the "pod" ownership community continue to update the software and hardware for the Tesla II cockpits (e.g., by developing kits that allow to replace the original CRT monitors with modern
LCD A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat-panel display or other electronically modulated optical device that uses the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals combined with polarizers. Liquid crystals do not emit light directly but in ...
ones) for both private, commercial, and convention use.


Tie-in fiction

* More than 100 tie-in novels. The novels are set in both the Classic BattleTech era (mid-3000s) and the Dark Age era (3130s). The original (Classic) BattleTech novels were produced between 1986 and 2002, while the Dark Age era Novels were produced from 2002 to early 2008. Publication of titles under the Classic BattleTech and MechWarrior lines resumed at the end of 2008. *An online writing project named ''BattleCorps'' produces novelettes set in different eras. The subscription-based ''BattleCorps'' offers monthly stories set across the history of the fictional universe. As of mid-2017, no new stories have been released in the first two quarters of 2017. *''The Spider and the Wolf'', a comic book-style sourcebook published by FASA in 1986 as a supplement to the original board game. It depicts the inception of the "Black Widow Company" in 3015 and offers a brief introduction to the ''BattleTech'' universe as a prelude on the inside cover. Three potential game scenarios are presented in the back of the book. *A series of licensed comics, published in the late 1980s by
Blackthorne Publishing Blackthorne Publishing, Inc. was a comic book publisher that flourished from 1986–1989. They were notable for the ''Blackthorne 3-D Series'', their reprint titles of classic comic strips like Dick Tracy, and their licensed products. Blackthorne ...
under the ''BattleTech'' and ''BattleForce'' monikers. The BattleTech comics included an "annual" and a "3-D" special issue, while the third of the three-issue BattleForce comic was left unpublished. The comics are not officially dated, but due to real-life publication date and plot context, speculation suggests that setting is circa 3025. *A five-issue comic book limited series, ''BattleTech: Fallout'' was published by
Malibu Comics Malibu Comics Entertainment, Inc. (also known as Malibu Graphics) was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. Notable titles published by Malibu included '' ...
from 1994 to 1995. The series is set in early 3050 during the Clan Invasion and depicts a group of disparate fugitives pairing with the Belt Pirates. The two parties form an irregular BattleMech force to remove the Clans from the ''Star's End'' system. The first issue has two special editions, one with gold print ("gold edition") and one with a holographic cover. The fifth issue (titled "Issue #0"), offers three very short supplemental stories outside of the main plot of the comic. *A 13-episode television show, '' BattleTech: The Animated Series'', aired on
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
in late 1994. The show was produced by
Saban Entertainment Saban Entertainment, Inc. (along with Saban International; currently operating under the legal name is BVS Entertainment, Inc.) was a worldwide-served independent American-Israeli television production company formed in 1980 by Haim Saban and S ...
and followed Major Adam Steiner and his unit, the First Somerset Strikers in an ongoing conflict with
Clan Jade Falcon ''BattleTech'' is a wargaming and military science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2001, which was in turn acquired by Topps in 2003; and published since 2007 by Catalyst Game Labs. The trademark ...
. *
Electric Entertainment Electric Entertainment, Inc. is an American television and media production company, established in 2001 by veteran writer/producer Dean Devlin and led by Devlin along with partners Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan. History Electric Entertainmen ...
, a company under contract to
Paramount Studios Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production and distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-oldest ...
, has leased the rights to produce a motion picture based on the ''BattleTech'' universe. Development has been slow and little is known about the project's status.


See also

* ''
BattleTech Tactical Handbook ''BattleTech Tactical Handbook'' is a game supplement published by FASA in 1994 for the mecha wargame ''BattleTech''. Description ''BattleTech Tactical Handbook'' is an 80-page softcover book written by Jim Long and Stuart Johnson containing advanc ...
'' * ''
BattleTroops ''BattleTroops'' is a FASA wargame set in the ''BattleTech'' universe, simulating infantry combat. It was expanded to include Clan Elementals with ClanTroops. It was published in 1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cy ...
'' * ''
CityTech ''CityTech'' is a FASA wargame first published in 1986 and set in the ''BattleTech'' fictional universe. Gameplay ''CityTech'' provided additional rules for simulating combat with infantry and vehicles rather than just BattleMechs, which were t ...
''


References


External links

* {{Authority control Mass media franchises introduced in 1984 Origins Award winners Games about mecha