Like a massive dropship, a few boxes full of Battletech goodness have landed at my front door. I’ve been excited to check out new releases for the game ever since I read the Battletech Universe book earlier this year. Gen Con proved to be a bountiful harvest of boxed sets, deluxe accessories and information on future releases.
Special thanks to Catalyst Game Labs for providing the material I discuss in this article. Battletech was one of the first games I connected with back in the days when it was created by a company called FASA. It’s been very exciting the past few years to reconnect with one of the best giant stompy robots games out there.
Battletech Mercenaries
The overarching storyline for Battletech is the struggle between the noble houses born from the Succession Wars and the returning exiles of the Clans. On one side you have mechwarriors that pass their giant Battlemechs down through the generations like suits of feudal armor. On the other side, you have a warrior culture full of pilots born and bred for mech combat.
Battletech: Mercenaries fills in the gaps between those two grand traditions. Sometimes the big factions need all the help they can get in taking an objective. That’s where mercenaries come in by offering a third classic character type to this space opera: working class heroes doing their best to keep their equipment running and survive until the next payday.
This expansion is the result of a massive Kickstarter from a few years ago. It includes more mechs to field and details the heaviest moments of the war between the clan and the houses. Both sides need mercenaries to survive and this box provides a campaign framework for running a mercenary company willing to die for that almighty C-Bill.
The box also expands the current version of the game by adding non-Battlemech units to engagements. While Battlemechs remain the stars of the show, players who want to add tactics for infantry, cavalry and other modern warfare units can find a great entry point here. I find missions much more interesting with objectives beyond blowing up the other guy and these elements expand those options greatly.
It also brings a lot of new model options in the Force Packs out in this wave. From objective points to gun towers to a whole squadron of the unlikely fan favorite Urbanmech, Mercenaries makes this space opera bigger and louder. Just make sure the company gets first salvage rights on the battlefield.
Battletech Gothic
Alternate histories are hot right now. It’s fun to see beloved characters take different routes through their stories, make different choices in their history and adopt different haircuts. From Marvel’s What If? to Star Trek’s jaunts to the Mirror Universe, the multiverse is a great way for fans to rearrange the story they know for a little while.
Battletech Gothic takes the big scale of the Battletech universe into a darker place. Rather than the great house, this boxed set details the Marauder States in the time of 3015. The Succession Wars took a much darker turn thanks to the development of not just Battlemechs but of horrible flesh and steel monsters called abominations.
Yes, Battletech Gothic brings kaiju-style monsters to this version of setting, though as of now they only exist as cardboard hex tokens that can be placed on the battlefield. It’s easy to assume that if this box is popular an expansion with abomination miniatures will be on the way. For now, this box comes with new versions of some classic mechs done up to look like they are off to a Black Sabbath concert.
I think these variations can still see play in the original setting to reflect the tastes or desperate necessities of fringe mercenary groups using whatever’s available to keep their mech on the field. I also think clashing with abominations would make for a fun Halloween themed episode of any campaign. This game has been going for over 40 years and it’s nice to see the current keepers of the flame still willing to experiment a little bit.
Battletech Aces
One of the boxed sets I am most excited about is Battletech Aces. This campaign set features options to play solo or cooperatively against enemies that are run by decks of cards. It uses the Alpha Strike set of rules to offer a campaign style game with branching storylines and a way for everyone at the table to be on the same team.
I got a chance to play a demo of the game at Adepticon this past spring. It was satisfying even if I realized too late I made the wrong tactical decisions.I look forward to a deeper dive when the game is released and hope to post it here when I play it some more.
Catalyst announced at Gen Con that the first campaign box will be a Black Friday release. I’m glad to hear that as I was afraid it was going to Kickstarter and be further delayed. I really enjoy cooperative games and think that a Battletech one fills a spot in the market that’s not yet currently covered.
Battletech Mercenaries and Battletech Gothic are available directly from Catalyst or at Friendly Local Game Stores worldwide. Battletech Aces is due out in Q4 of 2025.
