FASA Battletech Second Edition.

I found an intact thrift store copy of the Battletech Second Edition board game by FASA. I'm not familiar with this game. Anyone still play it? The materials look interesting. There aren't any miniatures, but, it has paper stand-ups. Is it worth playing in this edition?

Oh yes. Very good game, and the paper stand-ups are fully sufficient.

And there haven't been any massive changes between editions.

Last night my son and I read through the rule book. Later today we'll play the introductory trainer game with the Chameleon Training Scouts. This older version of the rulebook has bits and pieces of the Battletech lore for each of the factions. I tried looking at some of the Battletech forums, but, the enormity of the Battletech legenda is daunting to a newcomer. However, I was able to find record sheets for the 14 mechs represented by the cardboard stand-ups in the box so we don't have to write-in the stats on the blank record sheets provided. Are there any pre-made training scenarios other than what appears in this version which is fight till you're the last man standing?

I hope that we don't like this game because I can easily see that I'd either have to buy the current box set or buy some of the more expensive metal miniatures. Does anyone have any advice about any commonly available cheaper plastic miniatures that can be used as stand-ins/proxies for the mechs?

Brewmiester is absolutely right that there are not major edition changes from second edition to today's. That said, I would say that the current intro box is, if you like the game, a very solid acquisition that in itself is probably sufficient to flesh out a "modern" BT game. The rulebook is well put together, there are mounted mapboards (and more that can be bought separately, some additional fluff, and a nice range of plastic minis). I have more stuff than that, including some metals, but I've never really used any of that. Short story: if you want to go one step further, the current intro box is a good, principled starting and stopping point.

Dang, now I want to play again. I lost my regular partner when I switched jobs.

I like the em-4 mech miniatures as cheap alternatives. Scroll down the page a bit.

www.em4miniatures.com/acatalog/Science_Fiction.html

Another possibility would be the clix figures from a few years ago but I don't know if they can be had for cheap anymore.

Was second edition the one with all the Robotech mechs?

I have about a dozen plastic minis that we proxy in for whatever mechs we choose to play. We used a tank from Memoir for a tracked unit. The minis are nice to have but not a necessity.

S.

Jeff White wrote: Was second edition the one with all the Robotech mechs?

Looks like it from the pictures I'm seeing online, but just the paper stand ups. Third edition looks like it had the plastic Robotech.

www.sarna.net/wiki/Unseen

The second edition has the "unseen" in it, yes. The story is complicated and I'm no expert, but the link above has some details.

2nd edition w/earlier era (3025 pre-clan) is the best era of Battletech. The robotech mechs are all super cool and iconic, and the shitty weaponry fits the setting better.

If you dig the game, pick up this book:
www.sarna.net/wiki/BattleTech_Record_Sheets:_3025_%26_3026

It's a couple hundred record sheets, as was mentioned, using the proper models isn't a necessary.

For another supply of mechs the Reaper Cav kickstarter just went live. Starting out at 32 mechs in Bones plastic (white or grey) for $100.

www.kickstarter.com/projects/1513061270/...av-strike-operations

Thanks for all of the replies.

We played a few rounds and enjoyed battling with giant robots. This is a fun game! My son enjoyed the robot specs and learning about the Battletech backstory for the factions chosen for our game using the limited descriptions in the FASA second edition ruleset. After working with this ruleset and looking at the newer versions available via PDF from Catalyst for newbies, you guys were absolutely correct that the FASA second edition ruleset for Battletech is more than adequate. I may still purchase the Introductory Box Set simply to get the plastic miniatures since the price point is cheap enough. I may look into some of these other suggestions too. Other than investing in some mech miniatures, this FASA set is more than enough to explore Battletech. For maps, I think that I'll just use my 3D Heroscape landscape/terrain in place of using a map.

Heroscape terrain is perfect for Battletech. There were some big games at Gencon a few years back using the terrain. Nothing like a Death from Above from a six high mountain.