Guides and Articles

Everything written on the site, in one place.
25 articles, no padding.

Written by one person who plays the game, not assembled from a content calendar. If you are after a specific chassis rather than a topic, the mech guides are separate.

Jump to: Getting Started · Gameplay & Strategy · Lore & Universe · Painting & Hobby

Getting Started

If you have never played, start here. What to buy, how a turn works, and what to expect from your first game.

So You Want to Play BattleTech

What to buy, how the rules work, and what to expect from your first game — no padding, just what you need to know.

BattleTech vs Warhammer 40K

A genuine comparison from someone who's played both. Cost, gameplay, community, and which one is actually right for you.

Best 'Mechs for Beginners

Which 'Mechs teach the game well, which ones to avoid early, and how to build a first lance that won't frustrate you.

Building a Force on a Budget

How to get a complete, playable BattleTech collection for under $100, with the right priorities in the right order.

Gameplay & Strategy

The rules that decide games, explained by someone who has lost to all of them at least once.

Lance Building Guide

Roles, synergies, and the thinking behind building a lance that actually works together rather than four individual 'Mechs.

Alpha Strike vs Classic BattleTech

Both systems have their place. Here's how to decide which one to learn first and when to switch.

Heat Management Explained

The mechanic that defines BattleTech. Understanding it is the difference between a good pilot and a great one.

GATOR: How To-Hit Numbers Work

The calculation you'll do more than any other. Gunnery, movement, terrain and range, explained with worked examples and the 2d6 odds that actually matter.

Best Light 'Mechs (3025 Era)

Which scouts and harassers are worth fielding and why — from the Locust to the Jenner.

Best Heavy 'Mechs (3025 Era)

The workhorses of any serious lance — which heavies earn their tonnage and which disappoint.

Lore & Universe

Nine centuries of people making poor decisions with enormous machines. Read in any order.

The Star League: The Golden Age That Wasn't

Ian Cameron's forced unification, the Reunification War, the Amaris coup, and why Kerensky took the SLDF and left.

The Succession Wars: How Humanity Burned Its Future

Three centuries of compounding catastrophe — LosTech, ComStar's rise, and how the Inner Sphere became the place we love to game in.

The Dark Age: When the Lights Went Out

The HPG blackout, the Fortress Republic, and fifty years of recovery unravelling. BattleTech's most controversial era explained.

The ilClan Era: The Return to Terra

Alaric Ward. The Battle of Terra. Clan Wolf's claim to supremacy. The payoff of a storyline thirty years in the making.

The Jihad: The War That Broke Everything Again

Simultaneous nuclear strikes on every capital, the Manei Domini, Devlin Stone, and twelve years of warfare that made the Succession Wars look restrained.

BattleTech Lore: A Beginner's Guide

A thousand years of future history explained without requiring you to read a hundred sourcebooks first.

The Five Great Houses

House Davion, Steiner, Kurita, Liao, Marik — what makes each one distinct and which one you might want to fight for.

The Clan Invasion: Operation Revival

The five invading Clans, the shock of first contact, Tukayyid, and the destruction of Clan Smoke Jaguar. The full story.

The Succession Wars Explained

Three centuries of grinding warfare that shaped the Inner Sphere and destroyed most of what made the Star League great.

The FedCom Civil War: When the Alliance Destroyed Itself

Melissa's assassination, Katherine's power grab, Victor's long march home — five years of the Inner Sphere's mightiest military tearing itself apart.

Painting & Hobby

Getting the miniatures on the table looking like something, without spending a fortune or a year.

Painting Tutorial for Beginners

From bare plastic to a presentable 'Mech in an evening. Primer, basecoat, wash, done — how the pros actually do it fast.

Speed Painting a Full Lance

Batch painting techniques that get four 'Mechs table-ready in a weekend without cutting corners on quality.

Best Paints for BattleTech Miniatures

Army Painter, Vallejo, Citadel — which brands are worth the money and what you actually need to get started.

Faction Colour Schemes

The canonical colours for every major House and Clan, with notes on how to mix and match for your own colour scheme.

Building Terrain on a Budget

DIY terrain that looks good without costing a fortune. Foamcore, filler, and a few evenings gets you a solid table.