[Battletech] MekWars Forever (online campaign)

[Kobold Esq]

MekWars4Ever Live Cycle Launch-----Saturday May 14, 2011

MekWars is free software which allows battletech players to find each other and play games online, fighting for control of a persistent galaxy.

MekWars4Ever is a campaign server set just after the clan invasion has begun. Players can take control of either the forces of an invading clan, or one of seven inner sphere factions, to vie for supremacy.

The new cycle is about to begin! This means everyone will be starting from scratch with brand new shiny hangars, on equal footing! Players who are new to Battletech are welcome to join in, and we'll do our best to teach.



Launch Info:

First, go here to get the client: http://mekwarsforever.freeforums.org/live-cycle-client-t220.html

At 11:00 AM Pacific US time (2:00 PM US East Coast/6 PM GMT), the server will be taken down in order to prepare for the live launch.

At 12 Noon Pacific US time (3 PM US East Coast/ 7 PM GMT), the server will go live for the new cycle!!

Please do NOT try to log in to the server before the live time! But you can come visit us on the forums at http://mekwarsforever.freeforums.org

[Gnoman]

How does this compare to the Megameknet server, besides era?

[Kobold Esq]

Our economy should be a lot softer. We have larger hangars, no escalating cbill cost if you have tons of units of the same weight, and you can move pilots between units. The operation pay out to unit cost ratio is a bit better as well, so it'll be a little harder (though certainly not impossible) to go completely broke.

We're hoping that this means players will spend less time and effort worrying about creating the perfect hangar.

[Kobold Esq]

Oh and I almost forgot: We allow people to have both a clan and an inner sphere account. Only rule there is you can't play against each other.


Also, we do not use the force modifier for larger unit numbers. This helps the IS guys a lot.

[Penguinizer]

I'm curious. How complicated are the rules? I've been thinking about getting into the Battletech miniature game but haven't gotten around to it.

[Gnoman]

The megamek engine handles everything for you, but you need to actually know the rules to know how things are going to work.

[Kobold Esq]

I'm curious. How complicated are the rules? I've been thinking about getting into the Battletech miniature game but haven't gotten around to it.

What Gnoman said.


The basic rules are pretty straight forward. Units (mechs, veehicles, infantry) have some basic stats that control how fast they move, how much armor they have, what weapons they have, etc. Weapons are standardized (so every inner sphere medium laser will always have the same range, damage, and heat generation as every other inner sphere medium laser).

Basic order of turns:

1) Roll initiative
2) Take turns moving your units, alternating such that the guy who won initiative moves last.
3) Declare who is shooting what weapons at what targets
4) Adjudicate results of damage (the software does this all itself). A unit gets to deal all of its damage even if it is also destroyed that turn.
5) Melee combat, if anyone is able to.
6) Resolve heat. Most weapons generate various amounts of heat, and different units have different capability to disperse heat. Overheating a mech can lead to degraded performance, and eventually cause your ammo to cook off or pilot to bake to death.


Again, the software handles all the rules, does all the rolling, etc. The players just have to make their choices on what to do. The VAST majority of the choices a player makes fall under the categories of 1) Where to move, and 2) which weapons to fire at which targets.

The software is pretty good about being transparent. During the targeting phase, it shows you what to hit numbers different weapons will need depending on what target you have selected. During damage resolution, it shows you what rolls the random number generator came up with for each attack roll, etc.

Battletech is pretty easy to learn the basics of, then there is a moderate slope as you learn some of the most common tactics (like heat management, weapon selection, army construction, etc). A player can become solidly competent after a small number of games if you have players willing to help teach.

Which we do. :)

[Kobold Esq]

Oh I forgot to mention: There are lots of small little fiddly bits to the rules. It may take a while for you to learn the differences between Autocannons, LBX Autocannons, and Ultra Autocannons, or understand how to use the indirect fire option for Long Range Missiles, but don't worry about that stuff yet. It comes with time.

[Penguinizer]

Does the client come with some sort of rules compendium or should I look for the books on my own?

[Winterwind]

The latter, I'm afraid.

BattleTech is pretty awesome - very, very different than Warhammer (40k or Fantasy) though. There are things I like better in WH, there are things I like better in BattleTech. BattleTech will always hold a dear place in my heart, though - it was the first tabletop wargame I ever played. :smallsmile:

Also, the background is awesome. :smallcool:

So... what kind of time investment are we talking about here, when it comes to this campaign? I'm rather tempted to participate, but I'm somewhat doubtful I actually have the time to spare...

[Kobold Esq]

Think of it less like a normal "get together with your friends and a GM" campaign, and more of an organized structure to make playing games meaningful.

Basically just sign on whenever you want, see who else is online, and play a game. If people drop out, it doesn't really change anything, you can play as much or as little as you want.

As stated, the client doesn't include any rules, but there are two positives here:

1) The basic Battletech rules have stayed pretty much the same for 25 years. Some corner cases have changed over time for balancing purposes, and there is an entire book of optional rules which some people choose to use some or all of, but the basic resolution mechanic has stayed the same. This means if you pick up an older version of the rules for cheap, you'll still get a pretty solid understanding of the gameplay mechanics from it.

2) You can download "MegaMek," which is a standalone client for running the battles. You can use it to play battles against a bot, another player via hotseat, or connect to someone online in an arranged battle. If you want, you can play against bots for a few games and just learn through trial and error, though that could be semi-frustrating compared to just having one of your fellow players walk you through your first few games.

[Kobold Esq]

Oh and if you would like more detailed instructions, come visit us at: http://mekwarsforever.freeforums.org/index.php

That way we won't clog up my sexy recruiting thread with rules and mechanics minutiae.

[Kobold Esq]

I looked through the forum rules and didn't see anything against bumping, so I figured I'd give this another couple days on the front page, so hopefully more people will see it.

[Wraithcannon]

Hey there, I realize that MWF is long dead, but i was hoping you could tell me what the olde server used for Army construction rules (i.e. restricted units, weapons, ammo).

I started a thread about it on the Battletech forums.

bg.battletech.com/forums/megamek-games/megamek-army-construction-rules

Thanks!