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BattleTech: BattleMech Manual

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    •    Standing from seven to sixteen meters tall, and weighing from twenty to one hundred tons
    •    Powered by an armored and shielded fusion reactor
    •    Skeleton of honeycombed, foamed aluminum core wrapped with stressed silicon carbide monofilament and sheathed by a rigid, titanium-steel shell
    •    Locomotion generated via bundles of polyacetylene-fiber myomer muscles
    •    Protected by aligned-crystal steel over a layer of boron nitride impregnated with diamond monofilaments Mounting a swath of powerful weapons from charged particle beams to lasers, missiles to rapid-fire autocannons
    •    All at the command of the noble elite, the MechWarriors
The modern BattleMech is the end result of more than three thousand years of battlefield technology development. Combining awesome destructive power and unparalleled maneuverability, the BattleMech is perhaps the most complex machine ever produced. The undisputed master of thirty-first century warfare, the BattleMech seems destined to reign supreme for centuries to come.

—Excerpts from a promotional pamphlet originally distributed by Defiance Industries of Hesperus, Lyran Commonwealth, 3007

Using the most up-to-date rules text, the BattleMech Manual has been designed from the ground up to cater to the BattleTech player wanting to engage in an all-’Mech battle. Includes a variety of optional rules, terrain and more.


Welcome to the most table-usage-friendly BattleTech rulebook ever published!

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Discussions (12)
Customer avatar
Dan T September 04, 2021 11:51 pm UTC
So, I’ve read through descriptions, Primers, discussion, and still clear as mud.

I want to play games with Mech, Infantry, and Vehicles, with all relevant advanced rules (basically ignoring any Aerospace, and sticking to the tactical level, and no construction). What books are needed?

1. Total Warfare
2. Battletech Manual
3. 1 or 2, but also with Tactical Operations.
4. Also with tech manual

(My best guess is option 3, either Total War for basic rules on everything with Tact for advanced. Or Manual for all mech rules, and Tactical for vehicle and infantry???)

Are there any rules unique to Total War or to Battletech Manual that don’t show up in any other book?
Thanks
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Customer avatar
Keith H September 05, 2021 4:12 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Mechs, infantry and vehicles:

Total Warfare (base rules)
Tactical Operations: Advanced Units & Equipment (advanced rules: mostly weapons and equipment, but also some niche advanced unit types)
Interstellar Operations (niche advanced rules, mostly concerning Dark Age/modern era play)

There are rules unique to the BMM, yes: an optional rule for flamers, some new quirks that debut there, the master quirk list for mechs not published with quirks to that point, and the Battlefield Support rules (which allow you to sprinkle in artillery, mines, and air support in a very abstracted and quick way without needing more than a few pages of rules and while keeping the focus on mechs). There is an appendix at the back walking you through common rules mistakes. Lastly, there are simplified versions of some environmental rules (weather, terrain, fire and smoke) that appear elsewhere in a more complex form but in simplified form only appear in the BMM.

Total Warfare mostly...See more
Customer avatar
Edward C June 24, 2021 5:37 am UTC
i have the marauder cover book of the BattleMech Manual, are there any Erratas that make this a needed purchase?
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Customer avatar
Keith H June 24, 2021 8:23 am UTC
PURCHASER
Hard to say, as you have to decide how much tolerance you have for errata. Also, there were two Marauder printings, so there's different amounts changed based on which one you have. You can see how to identify what printing you have and what changed between each printing by viewing the errata doc for the book at https://bg.battletech.com/errata/.

I'd say if you have the second printing (first Marauder printing), then yeah, it's probably worth it because the third printing and later added an index, on top of the usual errata changes.
Customer avatar
Simon S April 24, 2021 2:13 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Thanks for the new version, but would it be possible for you to hyperlink the index and the table of contents when you next do a refresh? Ta!
Customer avatar
David L November 16, 2020 8:55 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I'm a little confused. Does this book replace "Total Warfare"? Also, are there campaign rules in it similar to Chaos Campaign?
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Customer avatar
Keith H November 18, 2020 8:23 am UTC
PURCHASER
It does not replace TW: it's more of a sidegrade, an alternate approach to the BT rules. Essentially, if you only play with mechs, then this book replaces TW as it has everything in TW and more. If you play with combined arms (infantry, vehicles, aero etc) though, then TW is the way to go, because the Manual is mech-only. Here's an article on it:
https://bg.battletech.com/news/news-and-announcements/what-is-the-battlemech-manual/

It has no campaign rules.
Customer avatar
Justin M July 29, 2019 10:29 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Any chance we can get the version with the Mad Cat on the Cover?
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Customer avatar
Keith H July 30, 2019 12:03 am UTC
PURCHASER
I don't think Catalyst ever offers older versions. But why would you want it? You'd get the same book, only with a pile of errors added.
Customer avatar
J. D. S March 26, 2019 3:24 am UTC
PURCHASER
Is there any difference between ordering this here versus directly from Catalyst? (i.e., is this the most up-to-date version of the BattleMech Manual, will this document receive updates as they occur, etc.)
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Customer avatar
Keith H March 26, 2019 11:29 am UTC
PURCHASER
There should be no difference at all. When a product gets a new printing, CGL typically provides free updates to those who've bought it in PDF, and DriveThru will do the same if CGL does it first.

And yes, this is the most recent version (there are two: the one with a Mad Cat on the cover is the first printing).
Customer avatar
Jeremy H February 21, 2019 2:13 am UTC
Does this book include rules for building mechs as well? Is the PDF layered so that I might turn off the backgrounds to get a more printer friendly document?
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Customer avatar
Keith H February 21, 2019 3:21 am UTC
PURCHASER
No construction rules: it's mean to be a gameplay-only manual, just stuff to use at the tabletop in-game, so that was deliberately left out. All the weapons have tonnage and crit info, but that's more of a "the room was there in the tables and people like to know that info for comparative purposes" rather than any real plans to build mechs using the book.

No idea if the PDF is layered, I'm afraid. Not sure how to check.
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Customer avatar
Jeremy H February 21, 2019 4:12 am UTC
Thanks for the speedy reply. Do you know what version of the game would include a concise gameplay and construction ruleset? Back in the day, The Rules Of Warfare included all the essentials. Even the slim volume from the boxed set would be enough, but I am intrigued by the advancements in melee weapons in this book, such as "retractable blade", etc.
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Customer avatar
Keith H February 21, 2019 4:41 am UTC
PURCHASER
There is no such book that's up to date on all options, I'm afraid: the game just grew too large. Your options are either the basic rules in the new box set, as you mention, or TechManual plus Tactical Operations, which together has about 95% of all current construction options (Interstellar Operations has the remainder, but it's all extremely niche stuff, extremely limited either faction-wise, chronologically, or both).
Customer avatar
Paul E February 20, 2019 5:21 am UTC
PURCHASER
Y'all need to update your description... this isn't the BattleMech Manual in the frickin' least!!! Damn't, if I wanted to purchase a new set of the rules, I would be looking for a completely different book. I was interested in the name and the description set forth for it as a collector's book about the various in-depth things about BattleMechs, NOT another edition of the freakin' rules.

I just have to be done with BattleTech completely... you guys have screwed the pooch so badly there's just no way back. BattleTech is now a cautionary BS tale, unfortunately, and I played it from '84 to '92... I really loved it when it wasn't so blown out of proportion.
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Customer avatar
Keith H February 20, 2019 8:47 am UTC
PURCHASER
"Using the most up-to-date rules text, the BattleMech Manual has been designed from the ground up to cater to the BattleTech player wanting to engage in an all-’Mech battle. Includes a variety of optional rules, terrain and more.

Welcome to the most table-usage-friendly BattleTech rulebook ever published!"
Reply
Customer avatar
Mark H February 20, 2019 8:58 am UTC
PURCHASER
Indeed.....that piece of text gives it away really, doesn't it
Reply
Customer avatar
Paul E February 20, 2019 3:03 pm UTC
PURCHASER
"Standing from seven to sixteen meters tall, and weighing from twenty to one hundred tons
• Powered by an armored and shielded fusion reactor
• Skeleton of honeycombed, foamed aluminum core wrapped with stressed silicon carbide monofilament and sheathed by a rigid, titanium-steel shell
• Locomotion generated via bundles of polyacetylene-fiber myomer muscles
• Protected by aligned-crystal steel over a layer of boron nitride impregnated with diamond monofilaments Mounting a swath of powerful weapons from charged particle beams to lasers, missiles to rapid-fire autocannons"

Where's the in-depth stuff about BATTLEMECHS in this book, smartass!
Reply
Customer avatar
Troy W July 20, 2019 2:11 pm UTC
The line right after all kinda pointedly states" —Excerpts from a promotional pamphlet originally distributed by Defiance Industries of Hesperus, Lyran Commonwealth, 3007"
Customer avatar
Darren F February 09, 2019 8:39 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Has anyone else used this on a tablet, on my Amazon fire it's taking 30 seconds to load each page, I've never had such an unoptomised pdf before.
Customer avatar
Enzo M January 19, 2019 4:38 am UTC
PURCHASER
Can anyone tell me if this will get the forthcoming update with all the errata? I already own the first release just trying to figure out if I will be required to purchase the update.
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Customer avatar
Keith H January 19, 2019 3:57 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Catalyst's traditional policy is to give purchasers of the previous printing in PDF a free upgrade to the latest PDF. While I can't guarantee that this will be the case here, I see no reason why this would break the traditional pattern.
Customer avatar
Mark H May 14, 2018 12:41 pm UTC
PURCHASER
If I wanted to use any of the Battletech RPG rules with this particular ruleset, which ones already available would be the most compatible?
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Customer avatar
Keith H May 14, 2018 4:01 pm UTC
PURCHASER
All of them. That is to say, while A Time of War is the most recent Battletech RPG edition, the Battlemech Manual makes no references to any RPG elements: it deals solely with the tabletop board/minis game. And since the mech rules have hardly changed at all over the decades (you've seen more equipment added, but the base rules for play are almost exactly the same), any of the older BT RPG rulesets will still be fully compatible: they'll just approach the RPG side in different ways.

As such, you can take the Manual rules and expand on them with any Battletech RPG you want. Personally, I would not recommend 3rd edition; the most common to use are either 2nd edition or A Time of War. But ultimately as a setting with no magic, aliens, psionics, or much in the way or personal-scale supertech, you can use pretty much any RPG system you like, if you're willing to do a bit of minor conversion work.
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Customer avatar
Mark H May 14, 2018 4:16 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Thanks Keith......A Time of War seems quite daunting from the page count, especially with extra from its Companion. I might plump with Classic Battletech RPG, although even that is still quite lengthy at 210 pages.
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Customer avatar
Keith H May 14, 2018 4:19 pm UTC
PURCHASER
No problem. The Classic RPG is 3rd edition renamed: while it's shorter than AToW, I found it at the table to be clunky as hell, and with a painful character creation process (though the random lifepaths can be fun if people are willing to surrender themselves to the will of the dice). If short and sweet is your priority, MW 2nd edition is the clear winner.

But ultimately anything will work. Good luck!
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Customer avatar
Mark H May 14, 2018 5:10 pm UTC
PURCHASER
In that case I shall have a rethink.....thanks again
Customer avatar
Trenton A May 09, 2018 6:06 am UTC
If I want to get started in Battletech running a campaign with friends which would be the better investment? I want to be able to run battles with campaign rules for repairs and handling money in-between so that the players care about the danger they place their mechs in. I would also like to be able to utilize vehicles as simpler enemies in some missions for them so they arent only ever fighting mechs. Anyways which makes more sense to do this if I own no prior books?

BattleTech Battle Mech Manual & Technical Readout Succession Wars

OR

Battletech Total Warfare & Technical Readout 3039

Also will Campaign Operations work well with either of those sets? Is it necessary for running an intro campaign?
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Customer avatar
Keith H May 10, 2018 2:09 am UTC
PURCHASER
You're choosing to dive into hard mode by going straight into all unit types, and maintenance for all of them, and running a mercenary unit as well. Good luck.

As for books, the Battlemech Manual is an excellent book in my thoroughly biased opinion, but it isn't what you in particular need. You'll want you Option #2, plus Record Sheets 3039 Unabridged, plus Strategic Operations (maintenance rules) and Campaign Operations (mercenary unit creation rules).
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Customer avatar
Trenton A May 11, 2018 4:45 pm UTC
Let me ask this, does this make things particularly challenging for me as the guy running OpFor or does this also greatly increase the difficulty for my players? I worry if I throw them in too deep then they'll be afraid to give the system another go. They all have some experience with tabletop RPGs but few have any real wargame experience. I figured throwing them each in as a single battlemech and having me run the opposing stuff would work okay.
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Customer avatar
Keith H May 11, 2018 4:55 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Assuming by "this" you mean your proposed campaign plan and not the Battlemech Manual, then yes, this is increasing the difficulty for your players, because someone is going to have to keep track of expenses, parts, and supplies for the player' mercenary unit. You can take on a lot of the burden--even most, I'd say--but if you want the players to have any meaningful decisions and the feel of financial risk that you've mentioned in such a game, you'll have to give them some of the work to go with it. If you've got a guy who likes that sort of in-game accounting (not common, but definitely not unheard of; Battletech tends to attract these sorts), they'll love this. If you just have guys who want to blow stuff up, the idea of accounting but in space is still probably going to be a turn-off.

I'd suggest starting with the Battlemech Manual and some simple battles, then maybe forming a unit around the group and fighting a bit more, and only then begin introducing other units types and accounting...See more
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Product Information
Mithral seller
Rule System(s)
Pages
150
Publisher Stock #
E-CAT35010
File Size:
36.29 MB
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File Last Updated:
December 12, 2023
This title was added to our catalog on July 22, 2017.