Mechwarrior: The Battletech Role-Playing Game (2nd Edition)

Comment: Although the Mechwarrior 3 RPG had some interesting aspects to it and was fairly detailed, overall I didn't like it. The 3rd edition system tried to divorce itself from the popular standard Battletech line; this resulted in its failure which was even conceded by the game line developer (Randall Bills) on the official Classic Battletech site. The fourth edition of the Battletech RPG is coming out called, A Time of War, so unless you're hooked on the 3rd edition rules or are a collector, I'd wait for the 4th edition.

Comment: Battletech is a well written and rich univers filled with intersting charters and wonderful places. Unfortuntly the they can't write a role playing rules system to save their life. No matter how many times they rewrite this system they seem to think that only improvment it needs is piling more and more convlouted rules on and TRYING to get the layout of the book better orgnised. Instead of making a system that promotes roleplaying and charter devlopment they make the combat system thats more complex than the map game. I can understand the reasoning of makeing a combat based system and selling it to people who play the combat only map game but if that is the case why is there so much depth and charter to the univers? I feel that the battletech univers is so in depth that you could play an entire campagin as something other than combat personal and still have a great time. The Mechwarrior rules go out of their way to prevent this. But then agin the game is called Mechwarrior so I guess I should expect to only play that, a mere mech warrior.

Comment: Mechwarrior has had three incarnations. It's had very good sales, mostly because it's part of FASA's Battletech juggernaut. However, one of the problems it's had is that while the sales are good, the number of people who actually play the Mechwarrior RPG is much smaller than you'd think. Most people use this as a reference book, or light reading (I'm one of the latter).

Many companies wouldn't care about that...they'd look at the sales numbers, throw a party, and not worry about it. But FASA does (or did...given that they're soon to be out of business). So, they retooled the Mechwarrior RPG in an attempt to make it more than just "what the 'Mech pilot does on his/her off hours", into an actual sci-fi RPG.

How'd they do? Not bad. Character creation is reminiscent vaguely of Traveller, and also of FASA's old line, Renegade Legion (which was a fun universe...check your local used bookstore!), in that your character is run through several lifepaths, depending on what they start out as. Some parts of it are confusing, in that I'm *still* trying to figure out where the bonus points go.

The system is okay, but nothing to speak of. The largest chapter, after character creation, is combat, of course. You also get equipment, example characters, a nice little vignette, and, of course, the required Big Honking Mass of Universe Information.

That, of course, is the meat and potatoes of this book. It's a great universe, and very well-developed. This is more of an introduction, though; there's so much to know you literally cannot place it in one book.

Good things: It's a neat little rpg, with a good background and okay mechanics.

Bad things: I'm still not clear on character creation, and I *still* don't know anybody who plays this.

Bottom line, it's definitely worth a look, and it's a great introduction, but it's not the best thing out there.

Comment: Ever wanted to walk around in a 100-ton death machine? Ever wanted to carry a high energy weapon in your backpack? Ever wanted to blow annoying bird aliens to tiny kibbles? With the new and improved Mechwarrior rulebook, you finally can!

This features a revised character creation and combat system, more rules, and a general enhancement on the innovative but flawed Mechwarrior, Version Two. It is also a DRASTIC improvement on Mechwarrior, First Edition. For one, your character can survive a fight without being crippled for life!

Overall, this is a great roleplaying game, and also a fair introduction to people who have never roleplayed before. However, it does lack some important background material, nessecitating the purchase of some of the Battletech novels or sourcebooks.

Comment: Great but the damage system could have done better. I mean "Wound Values" c'mon. Everything else was great.