Battletech Code of Common Play

“The objective of the game is to win. The purpose of the game is to have fun.”

Contained herein is a set of commonly accepted optional rules in most Battletech games. While anything in the Total Warfare book is considered perfectly acceptable, if you want to use more or less rules, always discuss it with your opponent before play. Remember that the game is supposed to be FUN and use whatever rules that you feel will enhance the game. The suggested rules are just some of many that have been in common practice (with the author anyway) in one form or another and are clearly written here so that one can become familiar with them before hand and are paraphrased here for brevity.

Never let the rules get in the way of the game. If something falls out of line and/or gets mired in details, do what you think is fun or makes the most sense. Always be mindful of your opponent and worry about researching the details later.

And even though you can land a drop ship on someone’s house… it’s considered pretty rude and unsportman like if you meta game a threat you know your opponent can’t respond too. This and other cheese deserves at least buying the your opponent a coke. Even though Battletech is pretty balanced in most respects, it can still be abused occasionally in one off games.

-MOST OF ALL, HAVE FUN!

Scenario:

• Forced Withdrawal (TotalWarfare Pg.258)
• BV 2.0 rules for force balance unless agreed otherwise.

Movement Modes:

• Sprinting (TacOps Pg. 18) (-1 to hit mod and no shooting for double walking move.)
• Evading(TacOps Pg.18) (Pilot skill based to hit mod increase for no weapons fire.)
• Shielding(TacOps Pg.19) (Firing through the shielded hex causes it to potentially hit the shielding unit on near miss. +1 mod for shooting through shield Vehicle, +2 for mech, +3 for large structure.)
• Hull Down(TacOps Pg.21) (2mp in front of partial cover allows for a +2 to hit mod.)

Conditions:

• Planetary Conditions (TacOps Pg. 28)

Advanced:

• Picking Up and Throwing Objects (TacOps Pg. 92)
• Anti Missile Systems: Used as a weapon (TacOps Pg.100) (Effectively a range 1 LMG.)
• ECM Suites: ECCM (TacOps Pg.100) (Counters ECM bubbles.)
• Gauss Weapons (TacOps Pg.102) (They can be turned off at the end phase to prevent explosions.)
• Infantry: Digging In (TacOps Pg. 108) (+2 to hit mod and No double dmg vs. Conv. Inf. In open for infantry that spend a undisturbed turn digging in. Ineffective against AoE weapons.)
• Infantry: Using Non-Infantry as cover (TacOps Pg. 108) (Nominate a hex side, +3 to hit for shots across it and +1 shooting from it. Non-hexside shots do not get any mod.)
• Advanced Support Vehicles (TacOps Pg.148) (Use with discretion.)

General Rules:

• Artillery (TacOps Pg. 179)
• Battle Armor Weights (TacOps Pg. 186) (Some armor gets heavier to transport, some lighter. Most stay at 1t per soldier.)
• Command Level Comms (TacOps Pg. 191)
• Ejection and Abandoning Units (TacOps Pg. 196)
• Improved Positions (TacOps Pg. 198) (When agreed, setting up on board allows the defender to give their units a CF 15 light building to setup in.)
• Mine Fields (TacOps Pg. 207)
• Rearming Under Fire (TacOps Pg. 213)
• Advanced Weapons and Equipment (Pg. 275+) (If you choose to use it, be sure to bring the rules and pay the BV.)