2002 · Catalyst Game Labs
The Introductory Box Set was designed as the entry point into the game for new BattleTech players, allowing them to slug it out in thirty-foot-tall war machines known as BattleMechs. The rules provide construction rules for building or customizing your own (introductory-level) 'Mechs, and quick-start rules for vehicles and infantry for players interested in simplified combined-arms battles. Also included in the box set is a BattleTech universe book providing an overview of the game world, its history, and its factions. A set of 24 unpainted plastic 'Mechs, ready for play and suitable for painting, are accompanied by prefilled record sheets listing each 'Mech's capabilities. The set also includes maps, a painting and tactics guide, cardstock reference sheets, a universe poster map of the BattleTech universe, and two six-sided dice.
The 2011 "Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Edition" of this set replaced the 2007 edition's thin paper maps with board game-style mounted maps, added two additional "high-quality" plastic minis (a Thor and a Loki, with accompanying record sheets), and included a brief guide detailing the BattleTech gaming system intended to introduce new players to the various products for the game. The 2013 reprint is identical to this version, albeit with different box art and the "high-quality" minis were changed to a Timber Wolf and a Battlemaster.
Expanded by:
Other introductory-level products:
Classic BattleTech: Starterbook – Sword and Dragon (Scenario book and sourcebook designed as a bridge between the box set and Total Warfare)
Classic BattleTech: Technical Readout – 3039 (Companion "technical readout," with game "fluff" and unit statistics)
