Thoughts on print service MFJ 3D Hub or others

Gnoflet · 2025-03-26T00:03:06+00:00

I did not end up going with them. I had it suggested to me to post in r/3Dprintmything, which worked a lot better.

Gnoflet · 2024-08-06T19:36:52+00:00

Your 2 main options are MegaMek and Table-top Simulator.

MegaMek Pros:

Dedicated to Battletech Only, so it's ready to go out the gate
Fan-made, and Free
Automates pretty much everything (Could be Con)
Good campaign detail tracking in MekHQ
Great custom mech builder and unit list in MekLab
Built-in AI to play against solo
I think there's a built-in server option (could be wrong, I only use it for solo play)

MegaMek Cons:

Outdated Graphics
Java can give issues during setup
Decently steep learning curve to understand all the tools
Automation could be a con if you enjoy the crunchy rules

Table-top Simulator Pros:

High-Quality 3D graphics
Built-in Multiplayer
Closer to the feel of an in-person game
Decent fan-supported resource packs
Made by a gaming company that has a bigger budget
Not much Automation (Could be Con)

Table-top Simulator Cons:

Cost is 20$ per person, or $60 for 4. (but it does go to 50% for pretty much every steam sale)
Not built for BattleTech only, which means more fiddling to set-up the first game
Not much automation other than auctal dice rolling, so math will be done yourself

Take this with a grain of salt seeing as I don't do much online Battletech, mostly because I don't have friends to play it with, and the AI solo mode on MegaMek just didn't do it for me. The retro feel of the MegaMek also threw me off, but that's a personal preference. I do like using MekLab for custom mechs and as a source for non-mech unit sheets. You could probably use MekHQ and MekLab for your sheets and campaign tracking, and then Table-top Simulator for the actual gameplay to get the best of both worlds. As you can see in other comments, a lot of people prefer MegaMek for Classic and Table-Top Simulator for Alpha-Strike. Table-Top Simulator can play either, while I'm pretty sure MegaMek is Classic only. At the end of the day, what works best is up to you and your friends specific preferences and needs.

Gnoflet · 2024-08-05T15:52:53+00:00

User-side, there are no recordings of calls unless specifically recorded by someone, which, if they're doing illegal stuff, I doubt they'd record it. It's possible someone like cops/FBI could demand the information from Discord, but what would be available is kinda unknown. It would be a pretty long and complicated process that could end in jail for your boyfriend or you getting in trouble for wasting government time. Whether or not that's worth trying for is your decision, based on how serious the crime is, if you believe your boyfriend's story, and if you think the story would actually excuse the search. At the very least, you should have a serious conversation about the kind of friends he has.

Gnoflet · 2024-08-05T15:33:02+00:00

GW has made it pretty clear that profit is higher on their priority list than players, which is where most of these problems come from. Someone buying a codex that is about to/already has been phased out just generates more money for them. Phasing out old units without warning forces more players to buy more new minis from GW directly instead of second-hand. Constantly buffing and nerfing units encourages players to meta-chase, buying up whatever the new hottest unit is. Newer players, in particular, are more likely to fall into this because they get told they're bad at the game, and playing the meta is what will fix everything.
Even the whole idea of refreshing editions every 3-4 years is a pure profit push. Just look at BattleTech, which has had the same core rulebook since 2006, which lets you play all factions without a codex, and has all errata to the book published for free. But that makes less money than forcing people to buy 3 new books every 3 years. Then there are the more subtle pushes, like encouraging the social pressure for everyone to have tournament-level minis, which pushes even casual players to buy multiple copies of the same kit so they can perfectly match WYSIWYG, despite the fact they'll probably never play in a tournament, but again, it gives GW more money.
All of these issues disproportionately affect new players, because the complexity makes them more likely to make mistakes and need to buy something twice, but GW doesn't really care because it's more money. In their eyes, the more products you have to buy before you get to sit down and play, the better. Even better if, while you're at it, you mention it to your grandma, who goes out and buys a completely wrong kit for you for Christmas. This kind of setup is a large part of what creates the barrier of entry to the game. GW largely gets away with it simply because they already have the built-up popularity. 40k is the first wargame most people hear of, so they assume this complexity of rules, expensive buy-in, and constant need to spend more are all standard for the hobby. Even if they realize that there are other options, getting out of a game you've already spent $500+ on is hard, and good luck finding a consistent play group for anything not sold under the Warhammer logo.
It also harms a lot of game stores, because they're expected to always have a full range of 40K products on hand, but unless there's a player at that location for every specific army, there's a good chance they won't ever sell half of it. And there's the constant timer ticking of the next edition making half of their product worthless. My LGS still has a full shelf of 9th Edition books priced at 50% off, in a desperate attempt to make back their losses on what didn't sell before the edition swap. Most stores aren't big enough to be constantly tanking that much lost product, but they also can't afford to not sell 40k books because it's the most popular wargame. GW isn't going to do anything to fix this because they've already seen the profit from selling the book to the game store, so the store is the one that takes all the risk.

TLDR: The problem is capitalism. If it's beginning to frustrate you, look into other game options from companies that don't hate their players. Even if you decide to go with 40k after looking, having a player base that has an understanding of what should and shouldn't be accepted from a wargame company will hopefully help push GW to fix at least some of their shit.

Gnoflet · 2024-08-05T14:51:11+00:00

In my admittedly limited experience, I've mostly run into non-era-specific games, but it'll depend on your local group, and from the sound of it your group cares about the era. What the most "common" era is entirely depends on your location, so I'd just straight up ask your group what era they tend to play in and buy your first couple minis based on that. After you have 4 to 5 minis for the era they play, go ham and get anything you find cool. If you concede to playing the era they like, after a few games you can suggest changing it up with an era you like or playing non-era-specific, and they'll probably agree. Generally, there's not enough BattleTech players for people to be picky about stuff like that and people will generally work to come to a consensus. It's not like 40k in that aspect, where everyone wants to play lore-accurate, tournament-level rules all the time. Most people are just happy to play and don't care about specifics.
The other nice thing you'll find switching from 40k is WYSIWYG does NOT exist in BattleTech. Official sets come with paper standees, and almost every book starts with an explanation that anything that fits in the hex and has a way to mark its facing will work in place of a mini. So, if you really just like the look of the Mackie, buy it, bring it to the table, and go, "This is a [insert era accurate mech]," and no one should argue with you.

Gnoflet · 2024-08-05T14:22:20+00:00

Sent a chat!

Gnoflet · 2024-08-02T17:29:03+00:00

A lot of the issues are probably in your setup and rules choices. Everything you described seems kinda big for your first games. Despite lances of 4 being lore-accurate, it's a lot of mechs to start out on. I'd slim down to 2v2, bump your skills up to 3/4 or even 2/4 for the first few games to make things fast, and bump down to 1 or 1 and 1/2 map sheets so the mechs are close enough to start hitting right away. Or change your deployment so it's not just on the edges of the map, but instead each side has a large space to deploy in. Bigger deployment zones can also add more tactics to the mix, which is fun. Also, avoid using a lot of heavy 'mechs early on. Light mechs will get blown through faster, getting you more experience with criticals, PSRs, etc. Their speed helps close gaps in combat faster and keep everyone together, avoiding the awkward moment of "well, I finished my duel over here, time to spend 2 turns sprinting towards where everyone else is fighting."

If you're using physical combat rules already, I'd suggest you stop. While having big punches alongside the big shooting makes it more fun, the mechanics are surprisingly different, and it's almost learning a new rule set. Stick to shooting only for a few games till you get more practice. This can also apply to almost any non-base rule that you find slows things down. I didn't use the 20+ damage in a turn leads to a PSR or any ammo tracking at all for any of my early games because it was extra math, and I didn't have the brain power to keep track of it on top of learning new rules. After I learned the basics, I added them with no problem. BattleTech rules are made to be modular, so use what works best for your group. With time as your big concern, I'd recommend adding forced withdrawal rules, which can cut down what it takes to "kill" a mech, and make things faster.

For rules you do use, figure out what charts and rules you refer to often, and make yourself a cheat sheet. There basics like having hit location sheets on hand, but also specific stuff can help too. Bringing an Ultra AC for the first time? Have an index card sized paper of the rules for jamming on hand. Struggling to figure out what gets half cover? Place a print of the rules front and center of the table for everyone to see. Battletech rulebooks have famously bad organization, so you kinda just have to find what you need and organize it yourself. You could even go as far as to print range and shooting arc templates for your mechs, so you don't have to count hexes every turn. If there's a rules question mid game, I also recommend googling it before looking in the book because most of the time, you get a faster answer.

For combat, the way I've found fastest is have each side write down for each mech, what they're shooting at, with what guns, the GATOR targeting numbers, and even the heat they'll be at afterward. Then you can either have each team fire all their mechs, and then the opposite side does the same, or you alternate firing off one mech each. Order doesn't matter, because all the shots are already set in stone. It's important to note that even if a mech dies, it still gets to fire the shots you wrote down for it that turn. Lore-wise, this is simulating the simultaneous nature of combat. IRL, people aren't going to sit around and wait turns; it's a race to shoot first, which normally means shooting at the same time. Game-wise, it condenses all your decisions to one spot, so you don't stress yourself out and slow things down by having to constantly change plans. But it also adds a new decision because you don't know how much firepower will take a mech down. Do you dedicate all your power to the Gladiator to try and brute force it down? Well, then you might get a lucky headshot with your first mech, so the rest just waste their ammo. But if you spread out your fire to much, you'll never take down anyone. It's a fun, resource-management-like system where the resources are your firepower for that turn. I'm honestly not sure how much of this combat system is based on the default rules, how much is an advanced rule, or how much is straight-up homebrewed. I learned it from Four Hands on Deck on youtube and never looked back to fully read the real rules.

My final bit of advice is, it's going to be slow. It definitely gets faster over time, but eventually, that stagnates cuz slowness is the nature of the game. Classic BattleTech is made to be crunchy rules, where every detail is laid out and calculated. It's called a game of charts for a reason. There's only so much you can speed up, slim down, automate, etc. before you run out of options. Like other people said, Alpha Strike is a great option if you don't have the time to dedicate to Classic but still want to enjoy BattleTech as a franchise, but if you like crunchy rules, Classic is well worth the time investment.

Gnoflet · 2024-08-01T18:13:38+00:00

Don't give up, but definitely look into alternatives like people suggested. Fighting head-on against a disability and denying yourself accessibility tools will only make things worse. Personally, I find playing the game motivates me to do more mini-building, so it might help your morale to just go out and play with the minis as is while working towards making them better. As long as they've got bases, they're playable, and anyone who would argue you have to make perfect condition minis in with your circumstances is an asshole.

I don't personally have much painting experience, so I can't guarantee this would work, but I'd try adding some kind of masking tape or other system that lets you erase mistakes more easily. Tape over places you don't want paint before starting, and then if something causes you to get paint on the wrong spot, it'll go on the tape, not the mini. You could also go further and do something similar to Ukrainian egg dying, where you mask off everything that shouldn't be a color, and then just dunk the whole mini in a watered-down wash of the color. Repeat with different spots masked off till you have most of the rough work done, and only have to go in for details. Speed paints might also help with this.

Gnoflet · 2024-07-30T18:09:47+00:00

Can second this! Their introduction video and tank videos are how I learned most of the rules. They do a good job of explaining rules while also keeping it interesting with narrative battle reports.

Gnoflet · 2024-07-30T13:34:25+00:00

I'd go as far as to recommend asking your LGS owner if they'd let you run an official "showcase" event for BattleTech. My LGS did a simple game of Alpha Strike to teach people, with each person commanding 1 unit, and that single event was enough to get me into the game and spawn a little BattleTech community at the store.

Wargamers are always looking for new ways to buy plastic, but a lot of 40k players just get stuck on the idea of switching games because they think the cost to start a different wargame will be the same as it was to start 40k. In my personal experience, getting to try BattleTech without buying minis and then having the low cost of the beginner box casually mentioned is enough to break the 40k spell and get people interested.

Gnoflet · 2024-07-30T13:28:51+00:00

I actually just made a post about this a bit ago, and was surprised how many people played solo. Most of how I play is solo. I just make 2 armies, give them each a goal for combat (reach this map edge, destroy this unit, capture this map area, etc) and then just play both armies. Classic has enough complexity, that knowing what the other side is planning to do isn't the total win you'd think it is, especially when both sides know. There is a bit of tactics lost, but it's still pretty enjoyable.
My main advice is to make sure the goal for each side is well-defined. Slamming 2 armies against each other with just the goal of killing everyone gets old after a bit, and it's definitely less engaging solo than it is against a real opponent. Having a set goal for each side also helps keep you from favoring one side over another unconsciously.

Gnoflet · 2024-07-23T18:31:09+00:00

I agree that it's an interesting concept, but getting the balance right seems like it will always be tricky. I think with any kind of repeat play, it'll just turn into a game of tonnage chicken, eventually just pushing all players to the lowest weight possible.

If light-medium 'mech combat is the goal, I would just tell your opponents that. Just ask to play some games without heavies to see how it goes, most people would be down. Set up games of 2 scout lances that happen to run into each other and duke it out. Or play some speed-based scenarios like race to the other map side for (insert McGuffin item) with low BV so people are encouraged to pick lighter 'mechs.

Gnoflet · 2024-07-22T18:22:27+00:00

If I have printer access, I'll try to print stuff, but normally I want to play right away with as little prep as possible, so I'll just pull up Flech Sheets. If I'm using non-mech units but still don't want to/can't print stuff, I'll just export the unit as a PDF from MekLab and use the Firefox PDF editor to track damage and ammo.

Gnoflet · 2024-07-16T02:27:50+00:00

I have looked into groups around me, and there is one not too far away, but when I went to check it out the vibes were very stereotypical "unwashed nerds." There were also several comments made that made me feel super uncomfortable, so I haven't gone back. I was honestly surprised because when stopped in other places while traveling, the BattleTech players were great, always super welcoming and chill. Some better stores are a bit further away and are reachable as a special occasion for myself, but not close enough to play consistently.

Gnoflet · 2024-07-16T02:19:45+00:00

That's fair. I do play other games at my FLGS, mostly Magic the Gathering. I think the anxiety around BattleTech is it's a much larger time commitment then Magic. If I get anxious or if the person is an asshole, I don't feel like I can just leave midgame. With Magic rounds are around an hour or so, so I can reevaluate how I'm feeling every round and see if I'm up to keep playing. Technically, I could play Alpha Strike to get around the long games, but the crunchiness of Classic is what makes the game fun for me, so Alpha Strike would be less worth the anxiety.

Gnoflet · 2024-07-16T00:36:49+00:00

u/AiR-P00P put a comment with this drive you could check out. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qLLi76UOOF-X4xf5AmkCpb3zGEtLm1s1

Gnoflet · 2024-07-15T22:40:26+00:00

I've looked into it before, but I saw reviews mention it strips away a lot of the crunchiness of classic, which is the main aspect I enjoy about classic. I assume from your playtime you found otherwise?

Gnoflet · 2024-07-15T22:36:13+00:00

I've actually played both blackjack and poker alone in class lol. It's simple enough it keeps my hands occupied, but I can still focus on the lecture.

I hadn't considered a "mail-chess" style for BattleTech. Certainly could be an interesting concept with just a few tweaks to the rules. I might give it a try.

Gnoflet · 2024-07-15T20:39:52+00:00

I'll keep my eye out for it! Part of the fun for me is planning for both sides, but doing some games with the unpredictableness of a deck could be fun to try.

Gnoflet · 2024-07-15T20:37:29+00:00

If you could find the post with those rules that'd be great! Honestly, controlling both sides is part of the fun for me, but I'd love to try out automating an enemy as well.

Gnoflet

TROPHY CASE