I’ve not played the classic BattleTech rules. I was attracted to the Alpha Strike ruleset. It offered a streamlined ruleset and a more “traditional” wargame experience on the tabletop.

So to compliment the Alpha Strike starter set I got the Alpha Strike Commanders edition rulebook. Which is the full Alpha Strike rule set. It has additional rules, scenarios, etc. There are four pages though in the Commanders edition that allow Alpha Strike players to use the hex maps that the classic rules use.

Which means the hex maps that come with the various box sets that I have purchased for the mechs are useful for quick games.

At the moment on top of the mentioned Alpha Strike stuff I have the following BattleTech box sets and books:

• BattleTech Mercenaries Forcepack Battlefield Support: Battle & Fire Expansion
• BattleTech Universe Book
• BattleTech Game of Armored Combat 40th Anniversary Base Game
• BattleTech Campaign Operations
• BattleTech Beginner Box 40th Anniversary, Strategy Board Game
• Battletech Clan Invasion Expansion
• BattleTech: Gothic – Core Box Set
• BattleTech: Mercenaries Box Set
• BattleTech Inner Sphere Fire Lance
• BattleTech Gothic Salvage Display Box

The draw back of the Beginner Box is that it doesn’t come with the Alpha Strike cards for the two models in the box.

The last item in the above list is my first display box for the game.

Outside of buying box sets, or pre-made lances (of which there are a few). The only way to buy mechs are these salvage boxes. The contents are random. So you might find them on eBay or find other players to swap with if you don’t get the ones you want. So yes they have that draw back, but at least they don’t have that exploitative secondary market.

So I wanted more models for the Gothic box set. I found a source to get the display box at a cheaper cost than buying the boxes individually. Ok yes it’s a false saving.

But still this is the miniatures version of cracking open booster packs.

It’s not quite the same as cracking open a booster, but still rather satisfying as you see what cool looking mech you have pulled.

With a game that’s over 40 years old, there is obviously a lot of lore. To be truthful I have been rather put off from diving into the lore. The share amount of it seems so daunting to a noob like me. However the BattleTech Universe book seemed like a great starting place.

So now while having a soak I’m working my way through this lore primer.

I think the cool thing about my investment in BattleTech stuff is that I can use the minis with the Gamma Wolves ruleset too.

There are still one or two items in the postal system working their way to me:

• BattleTech Initiative Deck
• Battlefield Support Deck Revised
• BattleTech Aces Scouring Sands box sets

I’ve had to get the Aces Scouring Sands box set from the US Amazon. Couldn’t find a place online with it in stock. I particularly want to see how this campaign box set for Alpha Strike works. As far as I’m aware it’s also a co-operative campaign.

Then once it arrives I need to find some-one to work through the campaign with. Harder than you would think these days.

A brief bit of reflection before finishing this post. Looking back I hadn’t realised I had so much BattleTech stuff. More than enough to start building my own lances now. Apart from the recent batch of purchases, this current situation seems to have crept up on me.