Yes, but it does not have the complete rules. It has all that you need for playing mech on mech combat in 3025, but it lacks rules for more advanced technology, vehicles, infantry and such. That being said, you get enough mechs and rules in the boxed set that you don't actually need anything else, there is enough variety in that box to give the game more staying power than most boardgames.

Once you are familiar enough with the game, then Total Warfare is the next thing to get. This is the complete "tournament" rulebook, it has rules for all the common unit types, all the common weapons, buildings and a whole lot more. This is the level of play that most people seem to prefer, it has a lot to offer, but is not overly complex. Then there are expansion books for this, that introduces new rules, concepts and advanced equipment, though I would not recommend getting any of these expansion books until you are very familiar with the rules. There are also a lot of other expansions out there, but exactly what you want or need is up to you. With Total Warfare I would recommend buying some record sheets (that is the stats for the individual mechs, vehicles & infantry types, you get plenty in each record sheet book, enough for you to only really need 1, but more is fun ;) ), 3039 is the easiest era to get into, as you don't have to deal with a lot of the more esoteric tech.

Battleteh is by the way the most complete game I've ever played. There are rules for space battles in it (really detailed ones, dealing with ships from the lowly fighter up to huge carriers and capital ships), rules for ground battles (dealing with mechs, infantry, tanks, regular vehicles, civilian vehicles, artillery and more!), naval battles (ships, submarines, scuba divers) and air battles (airplanes, aerospace fighters, helicopters) and also rules for what happens when units ends up in an environment that they were not made for (what exactly happens to a mech who gets submerged under water when it starts to leak?). Though a lot of these rules are optional/advanced, so don't get scared by the scope of the game.

@Lenriak: I'm going to check out the Necromunda rulebook later. Already downloaded it, but in the midst of rushing a project right now ;)

@AFnord: Thanks a lot for the advice. I'm a bit strapped for money right now thanks to Kickstarter, but I'll definitely get the Introductory Boxed Set and trying it for a bit first before deciding on Total Warfare after my exams.

Well, the worst part of that hobby (in my opinion) is always when you have to do the actual physical work, as in assembling them with glue while trying not to damage any of the details, and then all the painting. I know some people love it, but I have never been artistic (I have a steady hand, that's about it), so I really dreaded it and just wanted to get to the playing part.

I know the feeling :(
There is a free Battletech client called MegaMek that can be used for testing out the rules before playing the game in real life, and also play online (it supports both online play and bots), though you need a good understanding of the rules in order to actually use it.

That's awesome! I'll try it next weekend, thanks a lot bro.

I imagine seeing flying bro fists on this forum soon.

So I finally gave MegaMek a shot. Oh boy. The rules are complex (though thankfully everything's calculated by the computer), but I really dig them. I was pretty amused to see my mechs falling on their backs after failing saving throws when trying to get up, and watching the enemy crit my reactor for huge chunks of damage. The pilot ejected from the mech, parachuted down, but failed his saving throw, so he died before he even landed.

Epic stuff. I can see myself having a blast with the board games. That is, if we play small skirmishes. I cannot see myself having the patience to wait out each turn with more than 2 mechs per player.
/brofists everyone

AFnord et al recommended the 25th Anniversary Introductory Box Set. You can check a video review of it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzpTonpnGIA&feature=player_embedded#!

Checking it now thanks!

it is pretty manageable once you get the hang of it. One of the things that have made Battletech last so long is the fact that the rules have a very strong internal logic. Once you get the hang of the basics, then most other things will feel a lot more obvious. I've found that 4-6 mechs/side and a few vehicles is quite doable in ~2-3h, and it prevents luck from being too large of a factor. The problem with very small games is that a single lucky headshot can end the game.

In one of the earliest games I played I had a (a heavy mech that is good up close and personal, but which has pitifully small long range missile rack for long range attacks) jump right up to a [url=http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Panther]Panther (a light sniper mech). The Grasshopper unleashed all its lasers at short range, causing horrific damage to the panther, but the panther turned around, and shot his PPC (a long range weapon, with a to hit penalty at very short range), hit the head of the Grasshopper (which has previously taken a medium laser hit to the head, but was otherwise undamaged). A PPC is a pretty powerful weapon, at lower tech levels, and it just went straight through the head of the Grasshopper, killing the pilot. The Grasshopper toppled to the ground, wrecked, and while the panther had lost its PPC in the process, it was still alive (it later in the game scored a lucky hit on a Dervish's missile stock, with its short ranged missiles, leaving behind a crater where previously a Dervish had stood. That Panther was the luckiest mech I've ever seen).
In a slightly larger game, the loss of that Grasshopper would still have hurt, but it would not have meant the end of the game.

*horrible flashbacks to MechCommander 1 incoming*

That's epic. Do situations like this occur regularly?

That game was pretty faithful to the board game in its feel and weapon effects, so yes, I think you have a good idea about how that felt.

From time to time. While the Panther was exceptionally lucky in that game, events similar to that are not unheard of. It is also quite possible to create your own epic moments.

In another game I had a (a super fast, but lightly armed and armored mech) who was running around, trying to not get shot by an enemy [url=http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Awesome]Awesome (a heavy "sniper" mech). The Awesome was standing up on a hill, with a cliff behind it, in order to see as much of the battlefield as possible. The Cicada, feeling incredibly outgunned decided that the only way to actually survive would be to push the Awesome down the cliff. So it ran up the hill, full speed, and bodytackled the Awesome, which was pushed backwards, over the cliff, and landed so hard that the pilot fainted. The following turn the Cicada ran down and started to kick the downed Awesome... but fumbled, fell over and its pilot fainted in the process (each time a mech falls, its pilot might take some damage, and if the pilot is damaged, there is a chance of it fainting). The Awesome then got up, and fired all of its PPCs into the Cicada, which was blasted into tiny pieces.

Hey AFnord, thanks so much for recommending Megamek. I'm playing the game right now with my 10-yo brother, but he had to go for tuition so we paused the game. Mini AAR:

He has Atlas + Black Knight, I have Atlas + Archer, and he's kicking my ass. I took a chance with my Atlas and stepped into the bog to get better LOS on his BK, but he's on a L1 hill with forests below, so my LOS sucks while he has very good LOS. My Archer's heat is building up fast, and it's not scratching his BK. His Atlas is currently flanking my Archer, and gaining speed fast.

I'm really glad you introduced this to me, both Battletech Introductory Box Set and Megamek. It's really gotten me interested in tabletop wargaming. Your karma just upped by 20 :D

***AFnord - improving the lives of geeks everywhere.***

By the way, how does indirect fire work?