Hextech Empires

The following are rules for a campaign of Classic Battletech. Rather than a Game
Master/OpFor style campaign with players against a shared enemy, this is a competitive
campaign where players are directly opposing each other. This system can be run with only
players and no need for a GM. The theme of the campaign is simple – a war is being waged
between several sides, and battles need to be won. In order to win those battles, you need to
capture strategic points, destroy your enemies, and above all, keep your mechs running!

Contents
Basic Setup.......................................................................................................................... 2
Building Your Company ..................................................................................................... 2
Fighting The War ................................................................................................................ 2
Controlling Hexes ........................................................................................................... 3
Resolving Battles ............................................................................................................ 3
Winning The Campaign .................................................................................................. 4
Logistics and Collecting Salvage ........................................................................................ 4
Return to the DropShip ................................................................................................... 5
Destroyed Mechs and Replacements .............................................................................. 6
Pilots ............................................................................................................................... 6
Territory Types ................................................................................................................... 8
Optional Rules .................................................................................................................. 10
OmniMechs ................................................................................................................... 10
Battle Armor ................................................................................................................. 10
Combat Vehicles ........................................................................................................... 10
Conventional Infantry ................................................................................................... 10
Integrated Infantry ........................................................................................................ 11
The Clans ...................................................................................................................... 11
Blakists.......................................................................................................................... 12
Frankenmechs ............................................................................................................... 13
Random Replacements.................................................................................................. 13
Time .............................................................................................................................. 13
 Basic Setup
The Hextech Empires campaign is built around a hex map with important territories
marked on certain tiles. Controlling territory and capturing specific tiles are the key to victory, so
setting up a map that provides interesting territory to fight over is critical for a fun campaign.
The map is made up of basic tiles and special tiles. Simple tiles include basic tiles and some that
affect strategy, like highways allowing fast movement. Special tiles are those that provide some
sort of bonus, such as capturing airbases allowing you to call in airstrikes on your opponents.
As a general rule, we recommend that for each player in the campaign, the map consists
of at least 10 basic tiles and three special tiles. This provides for room to maneuver and creates
objectives to be fought over. While the tiles can be used as simple gray prints, we also encourage
painting and detailing them. The same techniques used to paint and base miniatures can lead to a
stunning looking map, and a guide on doing so can be found at the end of this document.
Alternatively, this campaign can be played on a paper map. The Battletech “Turning
Points” series each contain a paper map of the world they’re focused on. Printing it and pinning
it to a whiteboard with magnets, then using magnetic markers for hex ownership and important
tiles, would be a viable alternative.

Building Your Company

Once the map is created, each player will craft their forces. Start by getting the group to
agree on a time period - this will probably be easy to decide on based on what your group thinks
is fun. These rules assume that each player is fielding a Company of Inner Sphere mechs - rules
for Clan and Blakist players may be found later in this document. As a starting point, making the
entire Company consist of 15,000 BV is recommended. Each player must fill out the full 12
mechs and assign them to a lance. It is definitely encouraged for them to name their company
and give designations to their lances and names or callsigns to their pilots. As Lances coexist
with Stars and Level IIs in some campaigns, the three will be referred to with the generic term of
“Forces”
Each player also gets one pilot for each mech in their company. Further details on pilots
are found later.

Fighting The War

The map campaign is broken up into strategic turns. Each strategic turn has the following
structure.
● Beginning of the turn: Some things such as special hexes check for the beginning of the
turn
● Determine Initiative: Break players up into groups based on how many victory points
they have, rolling dice to determine ties. Players with more victory points have to go first,
while players with less victory points go later. (Similar to playing Battletech, going later
is better.) For example, if two players have 5 victory points and one player has 4, the
 players with 5 VP would roll off to determine who has to go first. The loser of that roll
off would take their turn, then the winner, followed by the player with 4 VP.
● Make moves: In the order you just established, players move their forces. Each force can
move a number of hexes equal to the slowest Walk or Cruise MP among units in it.
Forces can’t enter enemy DropShip hexes, and can’t move through enemy forces unless
they end their turn in that hex.
● Resolve battles: After all forces have moved, any forces which are in the same hex as an
enemy force fight a battle(See Resolving Battles, below)
● End of the turn: Some things such as special hexes check for the end of the turn, and
mechs are repaired and modified here.
After this cycle has been followed, the strategic turn ends and a new strategic turn starts.
It’s recommended that each strategic turn takes up about two weeks of real world time - since
players might have as many as three games to play against different people, and life happens,
you’ll need time to schedule all these games. If you have a particularly dedicated group, a one
week cycle could work just as well.
When it comes to making moves, the entire group needs to participate. While this can be
done in person, the absence of one player can hold up the entire campaign. We recommend
organizing and declaring moves online, in a dedicated group chat where moves can be tracked
and referenced. Another option would be meeting in person, with anyone unable to make the
meeting having to make their moves ahead of time(essentially having the worst initiative), which
slightly penalizes them but allows the campaign to carry on at a set schedule.
Controlling Hexes
Every time a force moves into a hex, its owner takes control of that hex from whoever
previously controlled it. Control of a hex determines who gains the bonuses produced by that
hex, found towards the end of this doc. Unless stated otherwise, a hex is a Basic hex. For each
Basic hex you control at the start of a strategic turn, you add 50,000 C-Bills to your Cash.
Resolving Battles
Resolving battles is the meat of this campaign system, and what you’re here to do. When
your force ends a strategic turn in the same hex as an enemy force, you play a game of
Battletech, using the units in the forces in question. When setting up the game, we recommend
drawing influence from the map to determine what mapsheet to use. There are several official
Battletech mapsheets that suit some of the special objectives presented, such as the air base.
All battles are resolved as a game of Battletech with the following additional rules.
● In games where both players entered the same strategic hex this turn, one player chooses
which map sheets to play and the other player chooses which side they want their mechs
to enter from. In games where one player declined to move out of a hex when it was
attacked by another player, the player who was already there chooses both, representing
the home field advantage for a defender.
 ● Unless specified otherwise, a mech may withdraw from the battle at any time simply by
moving off the mapsheet the battle is taking place on. A mech which withdraws takes no
further part in the battle and cannot return.
● It is highly recommended to use the Forced Withdrawal rules. These rules lead to an
experience more in line with the Battletech setting, and allow for mechs to survive more
battles and play a larger part in the campaign. The Forced Withdrawal rules are found on
page 81 of the Battlemech Manual.
● A player wins when every enemy mech either withdraws or has been destroyed, or when
conditions of a scenario have been fulfilled.
● The player who loses the game must move their force off of the hex the battle was fought
in and into an adjacent hex. If possible, the lance must move into another hex their
faction controls, retreating along their line of logistics. They may not move into a hex
that contains an enemy force.
● Players may immediately concede a battle rather than fighting, possibly to preserve their
mechs from destruction. If an enemy force ends the turn in the same hex as your force
which has already moved, you may skip the battle, but your force must retreat and the
enemy gains a victory point as if they had defeated you in battle.
If more than one force under control of a single player is in the same hex as an enemy
player, the player with multiple forces chooses one to fight the enemy. If they lose, the other
forces must also move out of the hex. However, if players wish to create a scenario which allows
for an imbalance in forces, feel free.
Winning The Campaign
Victory in the campaign is determined by winning individual battles. Every time you win
a battle, you get one victory point for each enemy player who was participating. Generally this
means simple battles will be worth one victory point but, for example, a 4-way melee would be
worth 3, because you will have defeated three enemies. Players can choose when to end a
campaign; some examples would be after a certain number of strategic turns, the first player to
earn a certain number of victory points, on a specific date, etc.

Logistics and Collecting Salvage

In addition to mechs, it’s assumed that each lance has a logistics element that can keep up
with it. Various support vehicles, flatbeds large enough to carry a mech, etc. These logistics
elements normally take no part in battles, but they justify a few of the following rules.
Mechs automatically restore all ammunition and armor after a battle. Do not keep track of
how much ammo they’ve expended or armor they’ve lost. However, leave any structure damage
and critical hits in place. Any weapon or equipment which has taken a critical hit is considered to
be damaged and can’t be used until repaired. Weapons and equipment are destroyed if they’ve
taken more than half as many critical hits as they take up slots on the mech, except those that
only take up one slot, as those are always repairable. Mechs and systems are repaired at a Mech
Bay or your DropShip(more on that next section)
 At the end of each battle, players work together using the following guidelines to
determine what is and isn’t salvageable by creating the Salvage List.
● Anything that ended the battle still on the battlefield and unable to move under its own
power is valid salvage. This includes destroyed units, immobilized units, weapons from
destroyed turrets, and limbs that were blown off of mechs, among other options. These
can be thought of as a “bundle” – a mech is salvaged with those weapons that were still in
place, a detached limb comes with its weapons, etc.
● Mechs that have had their center torso structure reduced to 0, or have suffered four
Engine critical hits, are not salvageable. The wreck can be salvaged and stripped of any
intact gear and are then reduced to scrap, which can be sold for 25% of the mech’s value.
● Each destroyed mech’s pilot can also be “salvaged”, though this is more in terms of a
rescue or capture. Pilots are salvaged separately from the mech, as the ejection system
launches them clear.
After creating the salvage list, players take turns picking which bundle of items they want
to salvage, starting with the player who won the battle. After each player has three bundles, the
remaining items are unsalvageable and discarded. Any pilots who are not salvaged eventually
find their way back to friendly lines, so salvaging a pilot is done to capture them from the enemy
or protect them from capture.
Return to the DropShip
The hex containing your force’s DropShip is your base of operations. When a Lance ends
a strategic turn in the same hex as your force’s DropShip, all mechs in that lance are fully
repaired. Any weapon or equipment that has taken more than half as many critical hits as it takes
up slots on the mech is destroyed and cannot be repaired, except weapons which only take up
one critical slot, which are always repairable. Destroyed weapons are removed and discarded.
Repairs do not take any extra time on a strategic scale - a strategic turn is long enough to fix up
whatever’s wrong.
Your DropShip’s weapons and the fixed defenses around it are powerful enough that it’s
safe from attack - enemy lances may not move into your DropShip’s hex. However, a full
company assault against a DropShip is a fun potential scenario to work out - maybe as a finale
for the campaign, the winner trying to destroy the loser before they can evacuate.
Entire intact mechs that have been taken as salvage can be added to one of your lances.
Lances can only consist of four mechs, and you can only have three lances operational. Extra
mechs can be kept in your DropShip storage in case of a mech’s destruction or sold.
In addition to repairing mechs, mechs can be modified at the same time at your
DropShip’s Mechlab. Using the rules for custom mechs(or programs such as Solaris Skunkwerks
or MegaMekLab for convenience), you may remove weapons, equipment, heat sinks, and armor.
Engines, internal structure, gyros, cockpits, and myomer types may not be modified,
removed, or upgraded at the DropShip’s mechlab - that’s a much more intensive prospect than
you can handle in the field. In addition to items you have acquired, you have a functionally
infinite supply of armor, jump jets, and ammunition bins, as well as bare structural components
like replacement arms or torso sections. Note that you can sometimes swap a mech’s armor type
so long as all construction rules are followed.
When modifying mechs, you can use any components that you’ve retrieved as salvage to
refit your mechs. You will also receive funding from controlling hexes. This funding is only
needed to pay for new equipment - your employers or superiors are responsible for replacing
armor, ammunition and other logistical needs. Equipment is assumed to be purchased at list price
- this can be found in numerous sourcebooks, in various mech-modifying software, or at the
Battletech Wiki on sarna.net. Equipment from your Salvage stash may be sold to your employers
for half its list price.
Each weapon comes with a supply of its basic ammunition type. Weapons that normally
use multiple types, such as ATMs and LBX Autocannons, come with all their normal
ammunition types. Any additional ammunition types can be purchased - pay a simple one time
fee of triple the cost of one ton of that ammunition, and you have a solid line of supply for that
ammo type for the rest of the campaign, for that weapon and similar weapons. (For example, you
don’t need to pay separately for Artemis-equipped LRM10 and LRM15 ammo, but you do need
to pay separately for Artemis equipped LRM ammo and Artemis equipped SRM ammo.)
All players have access to Standard armor. In addition, all players have access to Ferro
Fibrous armor in campaigns set after 3040, and all Clan players have access to Clan Ferro
Fibrous armor. Other armor types may be gained via the Armorworks.
Destroyed Mechs and Replacements
At a certain point, a mech is just irreparable. Mechs are destroyed when their Center
Torso structure is reduced to zero, or when they suffer a total of 4 Engine critical hits in a battle.
Destroyed mechs can still be salvaged after a battle to be stripped of their intact components, and
the scrap can be sold for 25% of the mech’s value (but see Optional Rules, later)
If your mech is destroyed or captured by the enemy, you need a new mech. If you have a
usable mech in storage, such as having captured it from the enemy, use it. Otherwise, you get a
Replacement. Replacement mechs are issued by your employer at no cost to you. A replacement
mech must be equal to or less than the BV of the original stock configuration of the mech being
replaced, not accounting for modifiers based on pilot skill(Essentially, the same BV as was paid
to originally add it to your force).
Pilots
Each player gets one pilot per mech. You’re encouraged to name these pilots or give
them callsigns, as they will grow and earn skills and experience as the campaign goes on.
When pilots suffer injuries, track those injuries from turn to turn. At the end of any
strategic turn where a pilot doesn’t participate in a battle, they heal up to two injuries. If a pilot
ends their turn at a DropShip, they heal all their injuries.
Every time a pilot heals an injury, they gain an Experience Point, as bruises are the best
teachers. Each time a pilot fires a shot which disables or destroys a mech, they gain an XP. In
addition, at the end of each battle, each player selects the most valuable pilot in their opponent’s
force. That pilot gains one additional XP.
XP may be spent to upgrade the pilot’s Piloting and Gunnery skills. A pilot may not have
a difference of more than 2 between Pilot and Gunnery, so you can have a 3|5 skill pilot, but you
can’t upgrade that pilot’s gunnery to 2 without first upgrading their piloting to at least 4. The XP
cost for a skill upgrade is as follows.

NEW SKILL COST (XP)

4 1

3 2

2 3

1 4

0 5

If players wish, pilots can also earn Special Pilot Abilities from Campaign Ops. SPAs are
purchased with a point system of their own(see that book), and each SPA point costs 2 XP, so a
2-point Special Pilot Ability would cost 4 XP. It should be noted that the Special Pilot Abilities
are intended for narrative play and may upset balance - we recommend restricting pilots to one
SPA, and limiting Lucky in particular to no more than 2.
Pilots who ejected can be salvaged after a battle in the same manner as equipment and
mechs. When you salvage an enemy pilot, that pilot is considered to be captured. A pilot who is
not captured by the enemy eventually makes their way back to friendly lines. Captured pilots
may be used in a few ways. First, you may make a deal with their original player to return them,
perhaps in exchange for one of your own pilots, or an agreement to vacate a particular hex, or in
exchange for a lump sum of cash. Second, you may execute them, perhaps in retaliation for your
enemy refusing to negotiate for their freedom. In addition, the following options are available
based on the source of the pilot.
• Regular Military pilots may be given to your superiors for interrogation. This results in
preferential treatment from your quartermasters, reflected by a one time payment of
100,000 C-bills. Unless the pilot’s owner agrees, regular military pilots will never join
the ranks of a force that captured them.
 • Mercenary pilots may be offered a contract buyout: You can pay a sum of 250,000 C-
Bills to immediately take control of that pilot, adding them to your own roster.
• Clan pilots may be taken as bondsmen. They can be added to your roster, but the next
time you lose a battle against the pilot’s original owner, you must return the pilot to them.
Pilots die if they suffer seven injuries, or if their mech takes a cockpit critical hit, or the
head section they’re in is destroyed(but see the rules on skin of your teeth ejections in Tactical
Operations). If a pilot dies, a new, zero experience, starting skills pilot steps up to take their
place.
If a mech is equipped with a full head ejection system, when the pilot ejects, they are
automatically recovered by their own side without risk of capture.

Territory Types
The following are the various types of hexes important to the war effort. When creating
the battlefield and before placing DropShips, place a few of these around the map in locations
that will make for interesting battles.
• Basic: Basic territories have nothing special about them, but they do contribute money.
For each basic hex you control at the beginning of a strategic turn, you add 50,000 C-
Bills to your Cash.
• Highway: Forces moving into a Highway hex only have to spend half a movement point
to do so, so a Highway hex essentially doubles speed. Extra half-movement points are
rounded down. Highways also provide money just like a Basic hex. Highways which run
through hexes that would otherwise be Rough ignore the Rough penalty, representing
bridges over rivers.
• Rough: Forces moving into a Rough hex must spend an extra movement point to do so.
Forces that consist entirely of units with Jump or VTOL movement ignore this restriction.
Rough hexes provide money just like a Basic hex.
• Impassible: Forces may not enter Impassible hexes and they may not be controlled.
• Mech Bay: Equipped with the gear needed to work on mechs, mech bays are critical for
long term operations. Mech Bay hexes may be used to repair and modify mechs in the
same way as your DropShip, and also provide replacement mechs or pilots in the same
manner.
• Air Base: For each Air Base you control, you gain 7 Battlefield Support Points which can
only be spent on Aerospace Support once per Strategic Turn. Instead of doing that, if a
unit ends its movement in an Air Base hex, you may immediately move it to any other
location on the strategic map.
• Forward Base: If you control a Forward Base, when fighting within two map hexes of it,
you receive 12 Battlefield Support Points which can only be spent on Artillery. See the
rules on conventional infantry for an alternative use of the Forward Base.
• Comm Station: Comm Stations provide field command support. For each comm station
you control, pick one battle per strategic turn - you receive a +1 bonus to initiative rolls
 for that battle. Alternately, you may use a Comm Station’s satellite uplinks to time a
battle according to weather forecasts - at the beginning of a battle you may pick one
weather condition, appropriate to the terrain you’re fighting on, from the BattleMech
Manual and apply it for the duration of the battle.
• Fortress: Fortresses allow you to project power. If you control a fortress, you
automatically control any adjacent territories. When defending a fortress, the defending
player receives 20 Battlefield Support Points to spend on minefields. Alternatively,
construct a map and scenario for the fortress with terrain that’s available, such as walls
and turrets.
• Armorworks: If you control an Armorworks, when a force ends a turn there, you can
reequip one unit in that force with the armor type produced at the Armorworks, provided
all construction rules are followed. Each Armorworks produces one different type of
armor, which varies based on the game’s time period. The following table shows which
armor types are available. Note that mechs can start equipped with any of these armor
types, but you must possess an armorworks to reequip another mech to use any of these
armor types. In time periods where more than one type of armor is available, each
Armorworks should produce a different type.

YEAR ARMOR TYPE

Before 3040 Ferro Fibrous

3040 on Hardened armor. Ferro Fibrous becomes available to all players

3052 on Hardened armor or Clan Ferro Fibrous(always available to Clan players)

Hardened armor, Clan Ferro Fibrous, Laser-Reflective armor, Stealth armor, or

3063 on
Reactive armor.

Clan Ferro Fibrous, Ballistic Reinforced, Ferro-Lamellor Armor, or the

3131 on BlueShield Particle Field Defense System. Laser-Reflective armor, Hardened
armor, Stealth armor, and Reactive armor become available to all players.
 Optional Rules
The above rules are a complete ruleset for playing Inner Sphere forces up until the Clan
Invasion, but Battletech is first and foremost a toolbox to let you make your own fun. This
section provides optional additions to the rules - from simply adding the Clans and battle armor
to fielding Frankenmechs cobbled together from scrap.
OmniMechs
OmniMechs are significantly easier to repair than conventional mechs. Omnipod
mounted components of a mech are automatically repaired after the battle in which they’re
sustained - even if the component is blasted off and taken as salvage, the nature of Omnimechs
means that it’s easy enough to replace in the field.
Non-Pod mounted equipment on an OmniMech is “Fixed” and cannot be modified, only
repaired to its original configuration. Any modifications to an OmniMech produce a new, custom
configuration of the mech in question. If you include any OmniMechs in your force, you may
buy an Omnipod for any pod-capable equipment for 25% of its list price.
Battle Armor
If players agree, a force can include one squad or point of Battle Armor for each mech it
includes. Units of Battle Armor are purchased with battle value or C-Bills much like mechs, and
consist of 4-6 suits as appropriate for the faction. Since Battle Armor doesn’t track damage to
individual components the same way as mechs do, a single suit of Battle Armor is considered a
single component for the purpose of salvage. Damaged battle armor suits repair after each battle
like mechs, and any destroyed suits and pilots are replaced when the force ends its turn in its
DropShip or a Mech Bay. Salvaged battle armor may be immediately sold for half of its list
price, or may be added to an existing battle armor squad, or form the first suit of a new squad.
Battle Armor units are ignored for the purpose of calculating Strategic Speed, as they can be
stored aboard the same support vehicles that carry the unit’s ammunition and spare parts.
Combat Vehicles
Players wishing to include non-mech units such as tanks, VTOLs, and hovercraft may do
so, exchanging CVs for mechs on a one-for-one basis, so you could field a lance of three mechs
and one tank, two hovercraft and two mechs, etc. Vehicles are in all other ways treated the same
as mechs for campaign purposes, with their crews and commanders accumulating XP in the same
way as a pilot.
Conventional Infantry
Players may also include Conventional Infantry in their games. To use a conventional
infantry, you must control a Forward Base tile. When fighting within two strategic hexes of the
Forward Base, rather than use artillery support, you may add infantry support in the form of any
of the generic infantry platoons found on page 213 of Total Warfare. All are gunnery 4 and
except the Motorized and Mechanized options, have Anti-Mech training and an AM skill of 5.
You may include up to twelve tons of infantry from the Foot, Jump, and Motorized sections, or
up to two Mechanized platoons. When setting up Foot infantry, they may be placed anywhere on
the board using the Hidden Unit rules. Jump infantry may paradrop in using the rules for hot
dropping. Be sure to review Total Warfare for the rull rules on infantry.
Integrated Infantry
If this rule is in use, any vehicle with an Infantry Bay may also take one of the generic
infantry platoons found on page 213 of Total Warfare. The platoons must be included in the
force’s roster and BV must be paid to add them. The platoon is restored to full strength after each
battle in which it is not wiped out. If the platoon is wiped out, the platoon is replaced(and its type
may be changed) when the force returns to its DropShip. The platoon must begin each
engagement embarked on its assigned transport. Because these infantry ride in their vehicle, they
do not affect the force’s Strategic Speed
The Clans
The forces of the Clans, with technology more advanced than the Inner Sphere and
unique martial philosophy, play differently. A Clan player in this campaign system controls a
Binary rather than a Company. As a note, playing a Clan force presents several additional rules
challenges and is recommended for veteran players
A binary consists of two Stars, which consist of five mechs, but otherwise behave
identically to Lances in every way and are also considered Forces. When a Clan player chooses
the units in their Stars, they have a budget of twice as many BV as Inner Sphere players.
However, Clans are bound by the dictates of Zellbrigen and Batchalls. A Star may also include
up to one point of Battle Armor for each Mech in it. In addition, Clan pilots can begin as skill 3 /
4 rather than 4 / 5, and if they do they must pay the BV cost for skill upgrades so when selecting
their mechs.
Whenever a Clan Star engages in combat with an Inner Sphere lance, the Clan player
“Bids down” - determine the total BV of the Inner Sphere lance, accounting for all modifiers.
The Clan player then selects a force from the units in the Star which is of equal or lesser BV to
the Inner Sphere lance to use in the battle, and may only field one point of battle armor for each
mech they field.
Clans warriors do not willingly dirty their hands with money, but Clan-spec equipment is
always in short supply. While Clan players will start with a full set of Clan equipment, in order
to source replacement Clan gear, Clan players have to accumulate Glory. Glory forms a sort of
currency, and is primarily earned by adhering to Zellbrigen(See Clan Honor, Total Warfare pg
273). At the start of any battle, a Clan player determines which Honor Level they will follow for
the battle. They may break this commitment mid-battle, but lose the Honor-specific Glory if they
do.
● If all of your mechs adhered to Honor Level 1 Zellbrigen for an entire battle, you earn 5
Glory.
● If all your mechs adhered to Honor Level 2 for an entire battle, you earn 3 Glory
● If all your mechs adhered to Honor Level 3 for an entire battle, you earn 1 Glory.
 ● You earn 1 Glory for each victory, regardless of your mechs' actions.
● Captured enemy pilots may be turned over to your superiors for a number of Glory equal
to half the number of experience points they've accumulated, minimum 1.
● Captured enemy mechs may be turned over to your superiors. A Light mech earns 1
point, a Medium 2, a Heavy 3, and an Assault 4.

Glory may be spent in the following ways

● When replacing a lost mech, you may spend 10 Glory to acquire an appropriate Clan
OmniMech or first-line Battlemech, following any other rules for replacement mechs.
● When replacing a lost mech, you may spend 5 Glory to acquire an appropriate second-
line Clan Battlemech, such as one of the various IIC designs, following any other rules
for replacement mechs.
● 3 Glory may be spent to replace any weapons, equipment, and heat sinks on one of your
mechs with Clan equivalents. For example, a captured Marauder 3R's loadout could be
replaced with a pair of Clan ERPPCs, an LB-5X AC, two Clan ER Medium Lasers, and
Clan Double Heat Sinks. Construction rules must be followed, of course.
● 3 Glory may be spent to add a Point of Clan Battle Armor to one of your stars.
Clan equipment may only be purchased by spending Glory, and only Clan players can
accumulate Glory. Clan players still accumulate money in the same manner as Inner Sphere
players, and may purchase Inner Sphere equipment with that money. A Clan player who ignores
the dictates of Zellbrigen may find themselves fielding their original Clan machines, armed with
discarded spheroid weapons, and even decaying entirely to an Inner Sphere tech force.
When replacing a lost mech without spending glory, Clan players must choose a
spheroid-made mech that is not equipped with any Clan gear. This could represent salvage taken
from another warzone, or mechs that have laid in Brian Caches for centuries. Star League mechs
are an especially appropriate choice. When using random replacements, if you roll a mech you
do not have enough glory for, such as rolling a first-line omni when you only have 5 glory,
simply re-roll until you generate a replacement you can afford. Instead of choosing an Inner
Sphere mech, one lost mech per star may be replaced with a Hunchback IIC Standard without
spending any Glory, even though it’s a clan tech machine. Go earn a good death.
Blakists
The forces of the ComGuards and the Word of Blake are organized still differently from the
Inner Sphere or the Clans. A player can always choose to play “undercover Blakists”, operating
as a normal Inner Sphere faction with no rules adjustments. Alternatively, a ComStar or Word of
Blake force may consist of two forces called Level IIs. Each Level II consists of six units, and
during force selection a Level II should consist of 6000 BV to an IS Lance’s 5000(adjust
proportionately if you’re not using the standard starting BV). The Blakists’ more numerous
forces and slightly higher BV are balanced out by the fact that they only have two units on the
strategic map, leading to lesser strategic flexibility.
 Frankenmechs
Sometimes, you need a mech. Any mech. Even if it means cobbling a monstrous
amalgam of a machine out of scrap. If players want to use Frankenmechs, then when destroyed
mechs are salvaged, rather than simply selling the scrap after stripping the valuable components,
the player may keep the scrap. Upon gathering three pieces of scrap from different mechs, you
can use them to create a frankenmech. Follow all the rules for creating frankenmechs in Strategic
Operations. Each of the three pieces of scrap contributes three components to the total of the
mech - HD, CT, LT, RT, LA, RA, LL, and RL. The additional component is disassembled to fill
gaps and provide spare parts. After completing a Frankenmech, the first pilot assigned to it gains
3 experience points, as they guided the construction of this bizarre machine. The frankenmech
can immediately be assigned to any of your forces. If you create and paint a custom miniature to
represent this frankenmech, whichever pilot is currently piloting it also receives a 1 point Lucky
Special Pilot Ability - this is above and beyond the normal limit of 1 SPA per pilot.
Random Replacements
Many Battletech publications feature Random Allocation Tables that you can roll on to
generate a random mech. As an optional rule, a group can agree that replacements will be
randomly generated from these RATs rather than simply picked. To generate a random mech,
choose an appropriate RAT for your faction and time period, then roll on it to determine the
mech you receive. If you can’t find an appropriate RAT for your faction, you can use the generic
tables in Total Warfare’s Unit Generation section. If you generate a mech that isn’t available yet,
simply pick a version of the chassis that is available or re-roll.
Time
The length of a strategic turn in this campaign is kept deliberately vague, as the size of
the map is not consistent from one campaign to another. If players are interested in following the
development of technology, however, players could track the date, with each strategic turn being
a few months, and following the advance of technology and introduction of new gear as time
progresses. This is most exciting to do in eras of Battletech with lots of new technology being
introduced in a short timespan, such as the Renaissance, the height of the Clan Invasion, and the
beginning of the FedCom Civil War in 3062. In this case, players should immediately receive the
ability to purchase new technology once it becomes available.
Ruins
The Ruins is a unique tile type added on the map. Anytime a player wins a battle in this
location, they get to roll on the Lostech table below for special salvage:

3D6 RESULT ITEM(S) OBTAINED

Random mech: Roll on the SLDF Royal RAT, Light, Medium, or Heavy
3
column
3D6 RESULT ITEM(S) OBTAINED

4 Random mech: Roll on the SLDF Regular Army RAT, any column

5 2x CASE

6 Large Pulse Laser OR Anti-Missile System

7 5x Small Pulse Laser OR 2x Medium Pulse Laser

6x Streak SRM 2 OR 2x Artemis IV module with supply of Artemis

8
ammunition

Ultra AC5 OR 2x NARC Launcher + Supply of NARC missile ammunition

9
OR Medium Pulse Laser

10 2x Small Pulse Laser OR 2x Streak SRM2

11 Guardian ECM Suite OR Beagle Active Probe OR TAG

12 3x Medium Pulse Laser

13 ER Large Laser

14 LBX-AC10

15 ER PPC OR Anti-Missile system

16 Null Signature System

17 Choice of mech: Firebee 2E, Icarus II 1S, or Gladiator 4R

Choice of Mech: BattleAxe 7K, Ymir BPX-1, Mackie MSK-6S, or Bull

18
Shark BSK-M3