By Kevin Folks
Foreward
Battletech isn't just a game; it's a vast universe of infinite complexity,
populated by intriguing charechters and their monsterous machines of
war.The Battletech board game gives you a look at this universe
from the point of view of the individual Mechwarrior,battling the enimies
of your house or clan at the controls of a massive Battlemech. Each player controls a small unit of 'mech clashing in a deadly dance
of alternating fire and maneuvering across various battlefields.
In htis trading card game,you see the universe from a different view:
that of a high ranking general or House leader.You engage your
opponent in a fast-paced battleof nerves,using Battlemechs,subterfuge
and sheer luck to win the campaign.This difference of scale,
difference of scale along with the very unique nature of trading card games,calls for
certain kinds of game mechanics,many of which are completely different
frm the hex based board game of Battletech.
Throughout the design and development of this game,everyone at
FASA worked hard to ensure that the overall flavor of combat in the
Battletech universe,as well as the specific Battlemechs,weapons
and famous charechters,survived from board game to card game.
Hopefully,yuor favorite 'Mech made it through okay.
Enjoy!
Bryan Nystul
Battletech Line Developer
FASA Corporation
Introduction
In the 31st century,vast empires battle for control of humankind.
You command Battlemechs,the most powerful machines on the battlefied,
fighting to take a planet-or lose an empire.
For almost a thousand years,human journeyed into the far reaches
of space,colonizing thousands of worlds and formng star spanning
alliances.From these grew the five vast star empires that make up
the Inner Sphere.
But the Inner Shpere was divided. its ruling dynasties warred constantly
over colony worlds with valuble resources.These titanic struggles
led to the development of Battlemechs:gigantic,humanoid battle
machines bristling with letal weapons.From the 25ht century
onward,these walkingtanks ruled the battlefields. Battlemechs and
thier skilled pilots changed combat forever.
As the price of conflict grew, the Inner Sphere tired of war.In 2571,
the five ruling Houses joined together in the Star League,a federation
led by a First Lord and served by its own army. For nearly two
hundered years, the Star League brought the Inner Sphere peace
and prosperity.
In 2751, the sudden death of the First Lord left the Star League in
hte hands of a child and a council of regents. Young Richard
Cameron ruled in name, but the real power with the five council Lords.
Ambitious and distrustful, they plotted against each other, while
an evil genius named Stefan Amaris wormed way into Richard's
trusting heart. In 2766, Amaris assassinated Richard and took control
of the Star League in a bloody coup d'etat.
The Star League Defense Forces, commanded by the brilliant General
Alexsandr Kerensky, refused to accept Aramis's rule. For thirteen years
they fought him in a bitter civil war. Kerensky's won but at a terrible price.
The Council Lords, each determined to rule the Star League, launched
a devastating war that ripped the Leage asunder. With the army disbanded
by the Lords' orders, former Star League troops sold their services as
mecenaries to different houses.
Unable to halt the conflict, Kerensky appealed to his soldiers to join him
in leaving the Inner Sphere. Nearly 80 percent of the Star League army
heeded Kerensky's call to build a new Star League, somewhere far beyond
the explored universe. In 2784, Kerensky and his followers abandoned their
homes and headed into uncharted space, presumably never to return.
War followed war in the wake of Kerensky's dramatic departure. For
almost three the Houses of the Inner Sphere fought in vain for the
right to rule the universe. These Succession Wars brought new alliances
and cost the Inner Sphere precious, irreplacable technology. Constantly
manuvering for position, the House Lords assumed that the greatest enemy
they would ever face was each other.
They were wrong.
While the Inner Sphere sank into barbarism, Kerensky's followers
built a new society in the harsh environs beyond known space. They
developed a rigid caste system, desiged to produce the ultimate warriors.
For nearly three hundered years, the seperate castes of Kerensky's Clans
were unified by one burning ideal: that when the time was right, they
would return home and conquer the Inner Sphere. They would become
the "saviors" of humanity, rebuilding the Star League in their own image.
In 3048, the warlords of the Clans decided the time had come to launch their
invasion. With their powerful 'Mechs and Mechwarriors, they drove
straight toward Terra, the birth world of humanity.
Faced with a common enemy, the states of the Inner Sphere have united
against the treat. But their trust is fragile, their fledging alliances fraught
with risk. The Clans also vie with each other for the honor of first reaching
Terra. But these internal calshes are nothing compared to the all-out
war that rages between the Clans and the Houses.
House against House, Clan against Clan, or House against Clan, war is
everywhere. As commander of a Battlemech force, you deploy your
soldiers, gaurd your resources while attacking your opponent's, and
fight to conquer your enemy. Your 'Mechs are ready to take the
field-are you ready to lead them?
Object of the Game
The object of Battletech is to run your opponent completely
out of cards. You do this by outmanuvering and outlasting your opponent
by making him or her use up supplies, and by destroying your
opponent's war equipment before the same thing happens to you.
There are a number of ways to do this, but the most basic is to
use your 'Mechs to attack your opponents draw pile
or Stockpile. You win the game when your opponent is required to draw a card
from his or her Stockpile and has no cards left in his or her Stockpile
to draw, or or when you damage your opponents Stockpile and your
opponent cannot scrap enough cards to equal the damage from your
attack.
