My Life as a Gamer: Coming Back to BattleTech

Last year, I came home to Car Wars. This year, it's BattleTech.

I credit Razorfist for reigniting that desire to play, and so I recently went online to see what's new and different about the classic tabletop game of lumbering tin cans with guns. I am pleased that the core rules are exactly as I remembered then, so that means all I'd have to learn are the optional rules- and I can take or leave those at my leisure (and pleasure). I expect that the Aerospace Fighter rules (AeroTech) will also be as I remember them, leaving me to learn only the Warship and etc. rules.

As for the tabletop RPG, the last edition I had any familiarity was the one with this as the cover:

So yeah, I've got some learning to do there, now that the current edition is A Time of War. I have no actual materials at this time, so I'm lacking the means to play and have no manuals to reference, but that's really about it. As I found with Car Wars, all I lacked was the tools. I fully expect that whem I get them, I'll get my groove back in moments and it will feel like it did 20 years ago when I played on Saturdays either at The Source or at Phoenix Games.

And these days, I have the option to play online- and I don't mean that MMO. Razorfist is right: BattleTech is due for a revival.