Welcome to BATTLETECH: An Introduction - The Rageaholic 

Welcome, 40k refugees, to the Inner Sphere where the mechs are stompy, the lore is vast, and the units I fielded 37 years ago still get played today.

A friend of mine was telling me the story of one of his times playing Battletech full on roleplay mode, on a colonized world and both mechs were completely disarmed, both cockpits were smashed open, they wound up grappling or something and ended up pretty much cockpit to cockpit when he took his next tern and made an inquiry as to whether his pilot has a sidearm or not and whether he can use it or not, it was established that he did and he could, so he shot the enemy pilot.

With all the 40K players trying out Battletech, it might be a good idea to make an updated video to show off the current starter products, as well as correct the error about Amaris betraying Richard Cameron (Not Davion, also I think the House splitting was after the Clan Invasion).

The beauty of Battletech - you can game anything from a barfight to galactic conquest in the same universe and the same charecters...And hell Yeah, we need a Battletech RPG game already. Such a rich universe, the possibilities are endless.

I've been a massive MechWarrior/BattleTech fan since my childhood, and this sir, was an awesome video to watch. Thank you for this, this definitely needed to be said and I hope this gets more people into the franchise. Respect!

I played MechAssault religiously when i was a kid. I'll always remember the commander shouting "Don't waste your ammo! Pretend that those poor bloody infantry are bugs and step on 'em!"

Uhm, excuse me Mr Fist. That's a B52, not a B2. *pushes glasses up nose*

Goddamn this guy has the vocabulary of Shakespeare coupled with the gift of the gab of a bonafide New York car salesman and the delivery and irreverence of the late George Carlin. A dangerous combination, and yes...Subscribed!

One fun thing to do with the classic 16 bit Battletech game, load it into an emulator (I know, I know...) and set the 2nd controller commands and the 1st controller both to the same xbox 360 controller (or whatever dual stick option you may have.) Playing the game in 2 player mode, pilot and gunner, but having the controls set up to where you actually have full control of your mech.. now that's some good 16 bit Battletech. I mean, it's not what you would consider sim and it pretty much turns it into a dual stick shooter.. but... fun?

"Lorehammer" Yes.

Razorfist, I wanted to say thank you. I saw this video a couple of months back and it just reminded me of how much fun my friends and I had in the mid 80's when we aged out of Car Wars and found BattleTech. This past weekend my 10 year old son and I battled it out lance on lance, little turkey got behind my Enforcer with his Hunchback. Lot's of fun, lots of dad-son time. Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm that this game was still out there and still great.

I don't know why but the thought of Yngwie Malmsteen piloting a mech just popped into my head. He jumps into his mech, screams "Time to unleash the fooking FURY!", makes his mech run out all guns blazing only to instantly wreck it by running top speed into a surprisingly sturdy street light. Time to revisit my psychiatrist, I guess.

I'd plug the Tex Talks that were released after this video, full feature length movies of lore and humor with a voice cultivated by years of whisky and cigars.

Worth noting: Whereas weaboo mechs act and look like their girly teen spiky haired ladyboy soulbound pilots, jumping around with power of naruto and posessing durability of soiled schoolgirl panties. Battlemechs are fucking machines! Tons of weight, clad in armor, lumbering platforms of destruction, which dominate the battlefields - and feel like warmachines, instead of feeling like a pretty piece of cosplay for an underage Armored Core fanboy.

I want to get into this, so fucking bad now, mecha is one of my favorite genres, period. and I know one guy who shares my love of it...in India. FUCK

Wait... MW4 mercs is freeware? Damn. I'm telling everyone I know now.

need. more. battletech. videos. I used this to recruit another viewer. Children of the 80s can't help but enjoy something like battletech.

the thing that seperates battletech from all the other mech shows/sims/games is that the mechs themselves are actually realistic in operation and combat

I would add that the MegaMek software allows for automation of the game rules, while MekHQ allows you design an entire campaign. I played on a trip a few years ago to pass the time and it felt as authentic as the pen and paper.

Seriously dude, I wish you'd cover more Battletech/Mechwarrior stuff.

You hear that, Razorfist? It's the howling of dozens of fanfucks who are demanding your execution for insulting their precious Neon Genesis Evangelion.

2:23 That's a B-52 Stratofortress, brotha.

subbed! This was in fact one of the finest, most entertaining youtube videos I have ever seen. Thank you for your brilliant breakdown of one of the finest game systems/world ever created.

Battletech has always been my favorite futuristic setting. It's so grittily real.

MechWarrior 4 will always be held in my heart as one of my favourite games of all time

A new Battletech (tactical RPG) and a new Mechwarrior (first person simulator) is on the way.

FAN-TASTIC video. This is what I will use to get new people into BattleTech. You sir, are a trip. Look forward to more BattleTech stuff!

My familiarity with Battletech begins and ends with Mechwarrior 2, one of the couple of free games that came packaged with the first PC my family ever bought back in the days of Windows 95. Man was that a rude awakening, going from using a mere directional pad and two, three, maybe even four buttons for standard 2D platforming romps to getting fucking owned within a 3D warzone while trying to figure out which key on the keyboard was the start running button. Shit I didn't even know you could customize the mechs I just picked one with its preset layout and hoped for the best (favoring anything that shot those plasma bursts). I was fucking terrible at it but damn if it wasn't one hell of a good time regardless.....and I still can't get enough of that female computer voice....

I just discovered this franchise ... Oh my God! What awesomeness I have been missing out on.

7 years , Man. And this is Still the best Battletech intro ever on RU-vid. I'm a fan since the 80s , and I watch this once a month! Outstanding work

And for those who play magic: I'm sure you've heard of Richard Garfield. He designed the Battletech card game as well.

"Long live Victor Steiner-Davion!"

man, this is the finest intro to battletech i ever seen

After watching this video I have one question. HOW THE FUCK DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS GLORIOUSNESS MY WHOLE LIFE?!

they had a Battletech game center in Vegas in the '90s. it was cool as hell with individual cockpits and a 1/8th scale Madcat in the lobby. They need to bring back Mechwarrior!

Since Games Workshop basically pulled a Blizzard, time to jump ship to Battletech and get immersed in the lore like I’m doing with FF14.

HBS did great with Shadowrun, with each iteration they made improvements that the fans requested. I hope the Mech Warrior game is just as good or even better than Shadowrun.

I went to a big game convention in Baltimore in 1985, and Battletech was one of the biggest things there! FASA even had a huge diorama with dozens of Mech robots from the Japanese model kits in mid battle on it!

My son watches Rageaholic all of the time. He loves the no-nonsense way the Rage-ster delivers his topic. I thought he was ok... better some times than others. But, now I think I'll pay him some more attention!I have been a MechWarrior since the board game / RPG in the late '80s. I hated D&D and AD&D. They were way too random for me. Then came Robotech with it's futuristic technology and transforming Veritech fighters! Loved the shit out of it! I just didn't get to play much as the people I gamed with all got left behind as I moved around in my career as an Army Infantryman. Well... I move to a new duty station and here's one of my young troops introducing me to Battletech! I, being in my young to mid 20s, see giant battle mechs... rich back-story... intrigue, in-fighting, treachery... and blast 'em to hell and gone action: I was hooked. Did the board games until I bought my first PC in 2000. I was stationed in Hawaii. Found me my first MechWarrior title and a decent flight cyclic and I was lost in space. I gamed in the campaigns, on-line, when ever, where ever I could. I still own all of the titles I could find all of the way up through MechWarrior 4, Vengeance, & Mercenaries.I still recall the good ol' days of board gaming with a tricked-out WarHammer Mech. If I could re-create some of those old battles with the MW4/Mercenaries game system in my trusty ol' 'Hammer, my better half would probably have to smack me up side the head and drag me to the dinner table. The Mech battles we had were a blast. Don't get me wrong: I loved being an Army Infantryman. But, if I could have had me a BattleMech in real life... better yet, a full lance at my command... America just wouldn't have any terrorists dogging us like a bunch of playground jackanapes! Shit... if I could have me a 'Mech now... I'd forgo my retirement and serve for free! Just as long as they fed me and pulled proper maintenance on my 'Mech... and loaded me up with all of the ammo I could shoot!

I remember getting a 4mb video card at compusa for the family pc, made mw2 run awesome. I loved the nova.

Anyone else here from r/Grimdank trying to understand what battletech is?

Mechassault 1 and 2 were my fucking jam as a kid. It was actually my first introduction to mecha as a whole, and frankly it still remains my favourite. Gimme a walking artillery platform over angel-fairy robots any day.

I would absolutely KILL for a Mass Effect style Battletech game.

Once I can scrounge up a spare $50 I'll drop some cash into the Battletech you recommended. This game does look ridiculously fun and far cheaper than Warhammer 40k. But man I'd kill to have a Mechwarrior/Battletech RPG as expansive as Mass Effect which would allow me to either run around on foot in First person and also have control over a mecha which I can pilot in First Person. Just keep it away from the Kinect because that killed Steel Battalion and this thing will be amazing.

I THOROUGHLY enjoyed watching this. Superbly well done, Rageaholic. As a nearly 25-year Battletech player, I can honestly say you did this intro to the games the justice it deserved. BRAVO!!!

"Iron Maiden on Opposite Day." You earned my like/sub for that line.

Epic, gotta say the first 10 seconds I was about to move on "nope, not gonna waste 15 minutes of my life", but I was happily rewarded once I got past the aviators and initial tone of voice lol now I wanna see what else you've reviewed! Well done sir, well done.

hey razorfist did u end up backing the HBS game, and if so did you see the in game footage they released the other day? god it looks so damn good

Returned fallout 4 to get the Battletech intro box. Can't wait to have some fun lasting more then a few hours!

Man, I miss the shit out of Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries. Came with my old WIN95 machine back in the day. Fucking loved that game.

The first time I ever engaged in anything related to Battletech was when playing the Mechassault games, underrated xbox classics with which I would love to see a followup.

Bargained well and done, Star Colonel.

3:55 O_o" Never seen an anime like that one before.

Thanks Razor, for carrying the battletech torch all these years. Truly remarkable the pluck of this game. Just getting back into it after a looong hiatus. Printing some 10mm scale mechs for 10mm scale Alpha Strike. Most fun I've had painting models in a long, long time. GW models have become far too over-designed (and expensive!).

I remember when it was battle droids, and Lucas(tm) fixed that. Gate keep them out, keep Battle Tech pure! Save us Razorfist!

One of the best videos you've ever made. Thoroughly entertaining.

Fuck it. I'm sick of warhammer. I'm gonna get that battle tech boxset.

Just bought the recommended box set. Played this game 2-3 times waaaaay back in the 1980s and 90s, but usually had my head up my ass with Battletech's emaciated bastard half-sibling series from the FASA family - Renegade Legions. Thanks for the tip on which edition boxed set NOT to buy, these things are still floating around depending on where you buy from. Great tip, great video. :D

If you guys haven't tried HBS BattleTech for PC, I highly recommend it. Very similar to the table top, with some video game aspects, but it doesn't stray too far from the spirit of BattleTech.

I came from the 80's and the pen and paper turn-based strategy version of the game, and never really got into the whole simulator first-person-shooter-esque series of Mechwarrior games. I actually got to run in one of the aforementioned 'virtual pods'. It was interesting, but it was also understood that this was technology that was too expensive for what they were doing with it, and it hasn't been until recent days that we've actually developed the technology to make something like that practical. Personally, what I like to do is set up succession wars era conflicts. No Clan Cheater Tech with their godlike ER PPC's and double heat sinks. Classic 3025 tech, where seeing a Marauder is probably the last thing you will ever see unless you're in an Atlas. Where overheating is a thing which can actually be POSSIBLE (yea, radical concept here...), ammo explosions are an insta-gib and the machine gun ammo most mechs stored was little more than a suicide device waiting to be set off which any pro pilot whose gone on more than one mission instantly ejects before it can be used to blow him to kingdom come. Personally, what I'd love to see is the team that did the SFX for the never to be sufficiently reviled Michael Bay rendition of the Transformers movies apologize to everyone for pissing on their childhood by doing the mechs for a Succession Wars movie trilogy. As long as they issue Michael Bay a restraining order. Maybe they can convince Joss to do it.

Mechwarrior 3 was always my favorite video game

I Really liked the part where you explained The lore of Battletech, As someone who hadn't heard of it you got me interested. I'd love to see more video's like this about other game's. great video !

I come back to rewatch this every few months because it's so entertaining and good.

Steiner is not Scandinavian but more Deutch. Awesome video by the way.

Mechwarrior 2 sucked months of my life away. I am not comlaining.

This was a suggested video watching a sidestrafe video. God damn son you're a high energy heavy metal mechwarrior guru. I love it! Going to take the dive into the lore and I'm definitely checking out the new Battletech.

I never really got into BT/MW, never had a chance. But what with GW being raging cunts to their fanbase nowadays, I think I'll look into it in depth and try to get my ubernerd friends into it as well. 50 bucks a box is endlessly better than actual hundreds. And a sci-fi setting with some really metal shit and in depth lore is something I can always enjoy. Well, time to dig.

Oh god. I don't want to be that guy but the cockpit was from a b29, you said it was a B2, and the picture showed a b52. I'm sorry, I don't want to be that guy, but I have to. Please don't hate me.

Drop the skrilla? Really, mr Fist? I await the incoming Rap Mythos #1

Hell yeah, MW4 even had a big modded upload with bunch of mechs and gameplay improvements!

That looked more like a B-29 cockpit. And when you said B-2 a B-52 image was shown.

how does the rageaholic have less than 50k subs. His delivery coupled with how well his scripts are written are deserving of a wider audience.

Mechwarrior 2nd Edition was the pinnacle of the RPG-part of the franchise.

I really wish Hairbrained Studios would do another Battletech game.

A mechwarrior RPG, sounds very good.

MWO has seen a massive increase in quality since Piranha Games split from IGP, not sure when's the last time you've played it, but after the split they've introduced quirks, which has helped balance all the sub-par IS mechs, they've been rebuilding some of the maps (river city and forest colony are massive now), trying to information warfare an important element, and are working on the next phase of faction warfare, like scouting missions (4v4 battles before a big one occurs), bonuses for capturing certain planets and overall improving whatever needs improving. It's true that a lot of people don't agree with how Piranha's been balancing clan mechs (which you yourself described as a power grab to milk cash from fans) but they've been working hard on making the game enjoyable and balanced no matter what mech and layout you use as well as introducing lots of new mechs (clan IICs, warhammer, archer, rifleman marauder and so on) I've honestly been enjoying the game since somewhat early beta, but now there's a lot more to it that makes it more enjoyable for people that didn't like it in the past.

HBS just confirmed on the twitch Q&A....NO MICROTRANSACTIONS! Monthly Q+A's!

Dude you totally nailed why I love Battletech.

Indeed. Me and many jarheads in my squadron played Mechwarrior in the 80s. We actually re enacted Wolfs Dragoons last stand vs House Kuritas Ryoken units and table topped a Regimental sized war adding aerospace fighters and remote artillery. Took 2 days but was a BLAST to play. When we finished the Wolves had eradicated 2 full Regiments of Kurita Ryoken and 2 regiments of Sword of Light combat teams. And finished with over 40 people as an audience. It was way cool. Semper Fi, Khan Natasha Kerensky.

Did you mean to say B-52 bomber when you showed a picture of it or was the actual B-2 too stealthy to find a decent picture of? :P

Eh, MWO's a bucketload of fun, and that's as someone who started the games at MW2 and MC. It certainly has the visual and sound design to match, and honestly despite the clusterfuck of clan bullshit it's the closest the MechWarrior series got to balanced in recent memory.

For me the ultimate Battletech game would be a mix of HBS's Battletech and something akin to Mount & Blade. Starting off as either a simple mechwarrior or a lance captain and working your way up to creating your own minor house/nation in the Periphery.

Lmao, major points for knowing about Burst Angel. That was one of my first mecha animes that got me into mecha as a whole. Hasn’t aged as well as most, but still a lovely little series.

*COMSTAR would like to know your location*

One of the interesting things about Battletech from a realism standpoint is how outrageously light they are for their size. To give you an idea. An M1 Abrams main battle tank is around 60 TONS with modern armor. For those who know Battletech... The Atlas is one of the heaviest mechs of the setting at 100 tons. An M1 Abrams? It's the size of the Atlas' foot. Not even including the ankle. Speaking of size that's one of the biggest problems with Mechwarrior Online. The medium and light mechs are too big relative to the size of heavies and assaults. So you end up with mechs that are too large, and not quite fast enough to avoid being ripped to shreds. So the mediums end up becoming hard to use in matches. Which is one thimble full of the fucking ocean of problems that game has had and still contends with.

So now I wonder. What's your thoughts on Square Soft's SNES/DS classic "Front Mission"?

ah, this was the video that busted my Razorfist cherry. After watching every video, this is still one of my favorites. Keep up the good work man!

3:55 - What anime is that one where the chick's head gets blown off?

Battletech>40k wiki

Although lately, I have been more towards Gundam and Macross as far as mechs go, but my start has always been Mechwarrior. I have played the early games and saw the animated show based on it, forgot what it was called. What can I say, I have always liked the more military or tank like mechs and how they are used.

My dad still has his original BattleTech Sega Genesis game. That was my first introduction before my dad showed me the tabletop game.

BattleTech/Mechwarrior...sadly, my experience has been limited to a handful of games: Mechwarrior 2 and its Mercenaries expansion (I own both, and have the latter on DOSbox), the base game of Mechwarrior 3, and Mechwarrior 4: Vengeance--the latter two of which no longer function properly. On the subject of Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries, I've been wondering whether I could get a patch to work on DOSbox, since the game is (to steal one of your expressions) "buggier than Hannah Minx's pantyliners". Phantom weight, hit registration problems, random mission failures in scenarios that SHOULD have succeeded (as happened to me during the mission "Brother's Keeper"). All these issues just barely keep towards the bottom of my top 20 list. And, of course, this is ignoring MechAssault and its sequel (fun games, I'll admit, but also dumbed down and thus don't count). I must be missing a LOT...

As an anime fan, I must say, I applaud you for calling out Evangelion for the pile of shit that it is. Of course, I'm a part of the camp that claims the EVA Units aren't really Robots. On a related note, if you want some GOOD Mecha anime that doesn't suck, your best bet lies in the best decade of anime: the 80s! Specifically... Armored Trooper VOTOMs Fang of the Sun Dougram SPT-Layzner Aura Battler Dunbine Galactic Drifter Vifam Space Runaway Ideon Combat Mecha Xabungle Giant Robo: The Animation And of course...UC Gundam (Gundam 0079, Zeta Gundam, Char's Counterattack) Mind you, a lot of these shows aren't available in the U.S., so you're gonna have to track 'em down by "Other Means."

anyone remember the Star League online battle system many played on ages ago? it was where someone developed an online campaign system for Mechwarrior (2 or 3, I forgot now, lol), to give a meaning for playing multiplayer. they'd record results of the battles onto a galaxy map to show the progress of war. Archon Kildare was head of House Steiner, the top team. I was Morgan Hasek Davion, his historical advisor, and fellow general. in those days, many new to BTech only knew of the Clans. being an old timer, I had to remind folks of the original Inner Sphere Houses, and their history, back in the days of Windows 95, and the early MSN chat groups.

Friend: The locust is the weakest mech you couldn't kill a cold with that. Me: Proceeds to run circles around and cripple his Atlas.😂

It's the damn shame Mexhwarrior Online is nothing. But a shallow cash grab. I hope the IP, gets someone truly worthy to make something new and great.

Evangelion sucks.

That was a B-52, the madcats nose looks like the B-29 superfortress.

thanks for this , loved mechs since my uncle first got mechwarrior on his pc

3:55 me again…. Ummm… I feel bad to ask but my curiosity forces me