By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Backing the Kickstarter gives fans a chance to get these materials as soon as they are released but also access to cheaper minis and a massive amount of digital fiction set in the world. Theres a lot of interesting stuff here, so I encourage yall to set aside some time to see what Loren has to say. The BattleTech line developer did say that theyd be focusing on the Patton (and Axel) names for the chassis going forward, but the existing Rommel variants are still canon and the RG27 entry even mentioned them with an in-story reason why Defiance Industries was using just the Patton name now. Play is centered around 1-4 mechs on a side with more mech taking longer to resolve. April fools! However, the overwhelming recent success of BattleTech following the Clan Invasion Kickstarter necessitated the move. The remaining schedule will be: Friday, Jan. 6 Volume 29Friday, Jan. 20 Volume 30, Friday, Feb. 3 Volume 31Friday, Feb. 17 Volume 32. Based on the information provided by Catalyst Game Labs, the basic BattleTech: Mercenaries Box will include the following: Miniatures of the BattleMechs and vehicles will include the Chameleon, Starslayer, Caesar, Devastator, Flea, Firefly, Quickdraw, Ostsol, Galleon Light Tanks, and Maxim Hover Transports. MechWarrior, BattleMech, Mech and AeroTech are The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". And thats it for April! The retaliation packs seem to have been a really big thing for a lot of people so hopefully that will give a nice mid-campaign bump and make . Some are genetically modified warriors who live for combat. Copyright 2023 Xfire.com. On that note, an $8 million stretch goal was included in the BattleTech: Mercenaries Kickstarter campaign. For every item, we need to prepare an image, description, and price, and enter them into Backer Kit. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. It was streamed on CGL's official Youtube channel, SixSidesofGaming's Youtube channel and SixSidesofGaming's Twitch channel. Update 31 March 2023: I added the newly revealed Heavy Battle & Sweep force pack that is unlocked if the campaign hits its $6 million stretch goal. Is this the Ravens summer home? Accidental history prediction based on the law of averages, instead of one singular vision??? Or is it a fairy-tale character like Little Red Riding Hood, off to meet her grandmother whos been eaten by a Timber Wolf? In 2018, Catalyst Game Labs built upon the thirty-five-year legacy of BattleTech with the release of the A Game of Armored Combat and Beginner Box sets. E-Pub: $6.99Print-on-Demand (via Amazon): Coming Soon! Leader of the Sept There seem to be some good positives in There alongside a couple of downsides. }, Catalyst intends to have all of the new miniature sculpts completed before launching the next campaign, in an effort to prevent long delays in production. Catalyst intends to have all of the new miniature sculpts completed before launching the next campaign, in an effort to prevent long delays in production. To accomplish that, the Rec Guides will be taking a brief holiday break, returning Friday, Jan. 6 with Vol. Currently, there is a blockbuster Kickstarter going on thats looking that has lots of what fans love, such as new Battlemech miniatures and stories from the world. So we have now taken the non-stars the secondary guys in the wings and allowed them to eclipse our stars. The BattleTech: Mercenaries Kickstarter campaign will end on 20 April, with physical reward fulfilment beginning June 2024, according to the publisher's current estimates. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. In the last four years, the avalanche of high-quality, affordable, ready-to-play plasticscoinciding with. Those boxed sets included re-imagined miniatures which retained the core of each Mechs identity, updated with modern aesthetics. MechWarrior 5 already has a lot of different biomes that you can potentially drop onto, but after a while they all sort of blend together. Everyday, we learn a little more and get a little better at building software that makes crowdfunding a wonderful experience for all. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Will you defeat your demons from the Battle of Tukayyid during battle with would-be conquerors? Only show stores from the following chain: Add a new store. Okay, if you insistbut dont say we didnt give you a chance. r/battletech Kickstarter finalizes at $7,548,796.69! Anyone can be a champion in aMarauderor aTurkina! The much-anticipated BattleTech Mercenaries Kickstarter campaign has been officially scheduled for late March 2023. These days, truth is often stranger than fiction, so it can be hard to know whats a joke and whats not. Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. Shrapnel: The Official BattleTech Magazine transports you to the blistering, hard-hitting BattleMech conflicts that ravage the war-torn future of the 31st century and beyond! Catalyst Games' new box set, BattleTech: Mercenaries, is nearing the end of its Kickstarter campaign with over $6.1M raised from over 20K backers, far surpassing its initial $50,000 goal. While global supply chains have largely untangled themselves from the pandemic, this Kickstarter is more than twice as big as the last one, which probably requires some serious man-hours. The famous war machine in these battles is the battlemech, a massive war robot piloted by elite fighters called mechwarriors. Battletech: Mercenaries Kickstarter conclusion }. Heck, I should apply. Besides the usual bug fixes and compatibility with the recently released Rise of Rasalhague DLC, version 12 adds new dynamic lighting for sunny planets, new mission backgrounds, and UI updates. Update 23 March 2023: I added the two announced Legendary force packs. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Now, this major tabletop expansion for Battletech has concluded with over $7.5 million raised (specifically, $7,548,786 pledged by 23,648 backers), putting it in the top 20 most-funded projects on the platform. Is this the, The first part doesnt really tread any new ground, but I find part two to be a very interesting conversation. "@type": "Answer", Crescent Hawks Training Video Details Exploits Of The Kell Hounds. expansion to the game catalog meant to spice up your BattleTech games in a variety of new (and, frankly, ridiculous) ways:UrbanFest! Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. CGL made an internal decision to leave all existing canon names of the Patton/Rommel/Axel unchanged but to avoid the Nazi-associated name for future variants and instead use either Patton or Axel. Through fiction, video games and more the world has expanded and grown while still keeping what hooked so many people at its center. We are excited as you to launch this Kickstarter and cant wait to return to the battlefield with BattleTech supporters around the world. Catalyst Game Labs web store: https://store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/pseudotech-arcade-operations-urbanfestDriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/418563/PseudoTech-Arcade-Operations-UrbanFest. PGI is looking for someone in the field with two years of experience writing and at least one shipped title. Later on, the date for the Kickstarter campaign for the BattleTech: Mercenaries was then finalized and announced for Adepticon 2023. BattleTech: Mercenaries Kickstarter Preview #1 PDF Only: Free! "acceptedAnswer": { (LogOut/ Thrill to the tales of heroism and adventure that only the most unassuming of BattleMechs can deliver. Though the campaign date has shifted into next year, the majority of our work will be completed prior to its launch to limit delays in fulfillment. To me, its all those things too. The Kickstarter page is pretty sparse right now, but itll be the place to go on Thursday. New Mod vonBiomes 12 is out on Nexus, Steam & Patreon! Using the most up-to-date rules text, the BattleMech Manual has been designed from the ground up to cater to the BattleTech player wanting to engage in an all-'Mech battle. The current Kickstarter for Battletech: Mercenaries adds two iconic elements into the current version of the game. Does it vacation here every weekend from March to October, water-skiing with its UrbanMech neighbors? Original contents of bg.battletech.com The Fafnir in particular received armor buffs and reductions to its critical hit chances thatll hopefully make it into the terrifying behemoth it should be. { Catalyst reached out to Rem Alternis Productions to produce a training video for new recruits to the Crescent Hawks, where the motto is: Were here to make money, not friends. The video deals with the formation and legacy of the Kell Hounds, its notable figures, and their Mechs, as well as what the famed mercenary unit is up to during the ilClan era. I can't wait for the new toys to come with the Mercenaries kickstarter. In raising a lot, we learned a lot about what backers and creators need. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. BattleTech: Mercenaries will cost $75 when it arrives at retail, and include eight new mechs including fan favorites like the Flea, Firefly, Quickdraw, and the Starslayer. Youll just need to check the, Oh, and in case you missed it, the Mercs Kickstarter even made mainstream news outlets like, Told you wed get to the April Fools stuff. So it brings a little bit of flavor, almost a buff into your game, but does it in a way thats quick and its easy.. Some are nobles whose battlemechs are handed down from generation to generation. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. BattleTech is an entirely mini-agnostic game. Pilot cards also allowed tabletop generals to further modify mech performance or to allow the table to play out clashes from the novels and other tie-in media. Since Mercenaries broke the $7 million goal, everyone at Company level and above gets two ForcePacks of their choice (one from the $5 mil goal and another from the $7 mil goal), while Battalion level backers and above get four additional ForcePacks. Its got everything from political dramas to spy thrillers, but throughout the universe, it all comes back to those giant stompy robots. }, By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. "name": "What is included in the basic BattleTech: Mercenaries Box? If you love miniatures games, AdeptiCon is the place to be. These rules are for players who already have a lot of battlemech minatures that they want to use more of on an epic battlefield. 2001-2017 The Topps Company, Inc. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. The franchise would pass through multiple hands after FASA Corporation closed in the year 2000, including WizKids in 2001 and with Catalyst Game Labs securing the rights from 2007 onward. And as always, MechWarriors: Stay Syrupy. It does not store any personal data. In the context of a complex tabletop miniatures war game expansion, $7,548,786 pledged by 23,648 backersis certainly a testament to the dedication of the Battletech community. Updating pledge levels with the strength goals will have to wait. Head over to either the MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Steam Workshop page or the Nexus Mods site, and youll see Yet Another Mechlab is the most popular mod. In the later eras some of them work really hard to explain how they have not, in fact, hired mercenaries and you have the Dark Caste, which are basically Clan pirates, but other than that, mercs are generally viewed as not being honorable. Ive always had a fascination with military hardware, whether it be World War 2 battleships or modern jet fighters, but Ive always had a problem with getting too excited about these weapons of war. pic.twitter.com/qPu0zVhJq9. If you ever watch the video games, when the mech is running along and just stomps down onto a vehicle as its running through, youre just like Yeah! Mercenaries has also more than doubled the number of backers from the Clan Invasion, with 23,654 mercs pledged to form their own interstellar group of guns-for-hire. "@type": "Question", It seems people still love giant robots fighting other giant robots, as BattleTech: Mercenaries finished its Kickstarter campaign with over $7 million pledge total. During many of the live stream intermissions, the video never cuts and Randell Bills (among others) was still seen on camera. Geeking out over a MiG-29 or an MP5 can be a lot of fun, but these things have killed real people. Update 16 April 2023: Added the $8 million stretch goals. We are compiling a list of everything we want to add from the online store and the previous Kickstarter as well. Only later did it morph into a tabletop role-playing game, a long and beloved series of video games, and a destination pre-VR arcade experience. The livestream will be on the Six Sides of Gaming channels (YouTube, Twitch) and there is a schedule for planned streams here that includes interviews, streamed games, and check-ins on the regional launch parties. If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it! Both Terra Therma and Free Worlds Colosseum received updates thatll hopefully mean fewer MechWarriors getting stuck on geometry. Originally slated for launch in the Fall of 2022, the campaign was pushed back by CGL to coincide with the first day of the Adepticon 2023 wargaming convention. Im not sure Id actually want to live anywhere in the BattleTech universe (with the exception of the Magistracy, of course), but Im glad its here in our universe. https://store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/mercenaries-kickstarter-preview-01, https://books2read.com/BattleTechShrapnelIssue11, https://store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/pseudotech-arcade-operations-urbanfest, https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/418563/PseudoTech-Arcade-Operations-UrbanFest, Now Available CountersPack: Alpha Strike; CountersPack: BattleForce Back in Stock: Upcoming Livestreams, Get Oriented to the BattleTech Universe With Our New NavPoint Guide, April Fools Day: Plenty of Room at the Nebula California. Although the board game was initially titled Battledroids, creators Jordan Weisman and L. Ross Babcock III changed the name after Lucasfilm executed their trademark to the word Droids. Feel the power and excitement that can only come from thirty tons of slow-moving metal, and limited firepower! Catalyst reached out to Rem Alternis Productions to, PGI is looking for someone in the field with two years of experience writing and at least one shipped title. Whether it is news, reviews, features, or guides weve been focusing on interesting games both big and small since 2013. Now is the time of the Enlightenment! Originally developed and published in 1984 by FASA Corporation (which also published the Shadowrun RPG), BattleTech is a science fiction tabletop miniatures game of armored combat. Our miniature sculptors need more time to complete the designs required to launch the Mercenaries Kickstarter.. Scarlerr posted this to the BattleTech subreddit. #Battletech is going to be running their #Mercenaries Kickstarter this fall. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. This box will include new miniatures as well as new rules to extend what is available in the existing Game of Armored Combat and Clan Invasion boxes. Subject: BattleTech 'Mercenaries' Kickstarter - KICKSTARTER FUNDED ($5M, RANDALL BILLS INTERVIEW) Flinty. Building on the wild success of the, Eridani Light Horse/BattleMech & Vehicle Recognition, McCarron's Armored Cavalry/Lexington Combat Group, Northwind Highlanders/21st Centuari Lancers, During the BattleTech AMA at the start of the 24 hour stream, Loren Coleman was seen as a black screen with the text. "text": "The basic BattleTech: Mercenaries Box includes 12 fully assembled BattleMechs and vehicles, 2 double-sided paper maps, 3 punchboards of counters, a 32-page rulebook, a 24-page Record Sheet booklet, a 16-page Mercenary Primer, a 36-page fiction novella, 8 double-sided Mechwarrior pilot cards, 12 double-sided Alpha Strike cards, 99 Battlefield Support cards, a heavy-stock reference sheet, a double-sided laminated poster, and 2 six-sided dice." The multiple stretch goals reached by the Kickstarter campaign also confirmed that the production of the BattleTech: Mercenaries set will have additional ForcePacks, SalvageBoxes, MapPacks, Swag, Audiobooks, and more. Now Catalysts legion of big stompy robots is gearing up for all-out war with BattleTech: Mercenaries, a new boxed product and an expanded ruleset that hits Kickstarter today. exciting original fiction and campaign play set in the new ilClan Erahas unleashed a massive wave of BattleTech interest, with more gamers of every age and type playing than ever before. Maybe thats because I have a lot of news to write and dealing in anything but facts just makes my job harder. Catalyst Game Labs has produced two tactical battle games set during these times of war with expansions that unravel into the other era of the game. Since 2019, the publisher has sold nearly nine million miniatures a huge number for anyone other than a company like Games Workshop. The Kickstarter campaign for BattleTech: Mercenaries will run through April 20th, and the publisher currently estimates fulfilment of physical rewards will begin in June 2024. Since the conversation lasted nearly two hours, Travis broke this interview into two parts, with the first mostly talking about Lorens time as a BattleTech author and the second dealing more with his managerial role at Catalyst. Over 50 high-quality miniatures, amazing play and new fiction! In so doing, Bills said that his team has solved two fairly intractable problems that have plagued BattleTech for years now. Whats even more amazing, is that among all science fiction from the 1980s era, the Battletech Universe seems to be closest to predicting astronomical discoveries. A King Crab from #battletech walkin' around, shooting stuff. This includes the tabletop RPG MechWarrior, a modern revival of the tabletop game developed by Catalyst Game Labs, and a lot of novels, on top of several video games including a 2018 PC release by Harebrained Schemes, the MechAssault franchise, and the long-running MechWarrior series that culminated with MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries. Your email address will not be published. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), All Physical Rewards and Stretch Goals 2. BattleTech: Mercenaries will expand Catalysts line of plastic miniatures even further, but it will do so with a new unified ruleset that emphasizes combined arms warfare that is, BattleMechs, ground vehicles, air assets, and infantry all working together. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers, and is a League of Legends geek. And we couldnt imagine a more perfect venue for launching our Mercenaries Kickstarter. JFC right wingers never stfu about anything. and our You can join the launch party on Twitch at 11 a . Now, this major tabletop expansion for Battletech has concluded with over $7.5 million raised (specifically, $7,548,786 pledged by 23,648 backers), putting it in the top 20 most-funded projects on the platform. This job doesnt send you off to write a novel or a short story to somehow turn into a video game--its writing with an eye and ear toward in-the-moment game design. Yes, thats what I meant when I said they were metaphorically airbrushing the iconic tank out of the game line. Youll jockey to be first across the finish line in a hovertank race fraught with danger. One is that there are ways in which vehicles can start to overshadow BattleMechs, Bills said. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnXk0G56Cxo Vote It does not store any personal data. A second update today to add the Company pledge level. The campaign is live and runs through mid-April. But seriously, Ive never understood the appeal of April Fools Day. by Geoff Borgonia published April 25, 2023. Travis over at RenegageHPG sat down with Loren L. Coleman, co-founder of Catalyst Game Labs and current steward of the Battletech license. But if you really want to know the meaning of challenge, try to forge a glorious career from the cockpit of the infamous UrbanMech! Get ready to fight alongside ground vehicles, flying machines, infantry, and more in the games next incarnation. The next BattleTech Kickstarter launches in just a few days on Thursday, March 23rd! [Click!] Catalyst reached out to Rem Alternis Productions to produce a training video for new recruits to the Crescent Hawks, where the motto is: "We're here to make money, not friends."The video deals with the formation and legacy of the Kell Hounds, its notable figures, and their 'Mechs, as well as what the famed . So, park your favorite standby in the garage, don your neurohelmet, and climb into the giant trashcan-Mech of your choice; its time to show the Inner Sphere that size (and speed, and firepower, and armor, and fully actuated arms) isnt everything! The Herbie movies set in the Battletech Univers! And we want to offer that again. registered trademarks of The Topps Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This new approach, Bills says, speeds things up considerably compared to previous efforts. (LogOut/ The mercenary theme is also intriguing in terms of what the stretch goals might be. News Release[edit] This time, well before the Mercenaries Kickstarter launches, as we are so much further along on the project! The Kickstarter finishes on April 20th. ] Mercenaries Kickstarter In the Fall, CGL will be running another Kickstarter campaign for BattleTech. Finally, the box includes a campaign allowing you to build your own mercenary experience in any BattleTech Era. The #Battletech #Mercenaries #Kickstarter is here, and this is a breakdown of everything I can go over regarding pledges, stretch goals, and general informat. The mod adds over a dozen new biomes, including one with giant alien fungal growths, a desert with actual cacti, and an old-growth forest where trees are actually way taller than the Mechs. The Battletech: A Game of Armored Combat boxed set feels and plays most like the original game. #battletech #kickstarter #mercenaries #tierlist Chapters:0:00 Intro2:07 Merc Starter Box4:01 Assault & Cavalry4:50 Battle & Fire5:41 Objectives6:44 Recon & H. In MechWarrior Online: Legends news, April brings two new Legendary Mechs to, some map updates, and yet more adjustments to Mech quirks. Thank you for purchasing our latest expansion pack for the award-winningArcade Operationssystem:UrbanFest! The Kickstarter campaign for BattleTech: Mercenaries will run now through mid-April, before shifting to Backerkit for late pledges and fulfillment. Later, in 2020, it launched the BattleTech: Clan Invasion boxed set at retail alongside nearly 100 new plastic BattleMech miniatures. Obviously, love for the, The best part is the little cottage. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup . registered trademarks of The Topps Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. BattleTech: Mercenaries by Catalyst Games Kickstarter Catalyst Games is raising funds for BattleTech: Mercenaries on Kickstarter! "@type": "Question", This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Players must manage heat to take action against opponents while tracking damage to various locations on their battlemechs. We hope you love this journey as much as we have, and look forward to joining you on launch day! Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Four LB10-X ACs are paired with four ER Small Lasers, but only one of each are located on the left side of the Mech, meaning it retains the bulk of its firepower even after losing its left torso. 2001-2017 The Topps Company, Inc. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Its all very pretty, which you can see in vonSeitens video, so if youve got a good gaming rig, be sure to give this mod a download. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. In his man-cave, his only luxury is sleep. Update 22 March 2023: I added the Company Store pledge level revealed last night. "@context": "https://schema.org", Show stores that sell Privateer Press (Warmachine/Hordes) products. The 2023 Mercenaries Crowdfunding Campaign is a Kickstarter campaign that took place from 23 March 2023, 22:00 EDT to 20 April 2023, 22:00 EDT. To build interest ahead of the campaign a number of PDF previews were released along with a pre-launch backerkit page on 13 January 2023. And then, starting with sketches (often several), through the renders, into the final plastic samples, and finally gloriously painted miniatures by the Camos Specs team. The next BattleTech Kickstarter launches in just a few days on Thursday, March 23rd! The best part is the little cottage. The current run of miniatures are already assembled and easy to paint. Im amazed that a game I got into through video games and fiction, then the cardboard original, is not only still alive but thriving. Something went wrong. A young Jade Falcon cadet must prove her mettle in a Trial of Position against a cunning opponent if she is going to become part of her struggling Clans future. Seven of those will contain new Mechs, four will be packs of plastic vehicles, and one will add plastic Inner Sphere battle armor. Show stores that sell Battlefront (Flames of War) products. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The Kickstarter campaign for BattleTech: Mercenaries will run now through mid-April, before shifting to Backerkit for late pledges and fulfillment. 3D artist Maska brings us this brief animation of a King Crab making its way downtown, firing its twin AC/20s at some unfortunate soul off-camera. These new Legendary Mechs are really good, with unique and desirable characteristics that set them apart from every other Mech in the game. When you read the fiction, the combined arms is awesome, Bills said. Polygon sat down with managing developer Randall Bills to learn more. The Clan Invasion had to move at such lightning speed, and we had 100 means to produce. It has grown into a franchise spanning other media such as books, comics, television, and video games, including the Mechwarrior series." As the name implies, the base box includes brand-new mech miniatures, revised rulebooks, and new pilot cards. Harebrained Schemes LLC is raising funds for BATTLETECH on Kickstarter! A Conversation with Loren L. Coleman | Catalyst Game Labs Owner/CEO (Part 2: The Publisher). 01 May 2023 20:34:50 With BattleTech being a completely fictional universe, I dont have to worry about that. Mercenaries on the move! The 2023 Mercenaries Crowdfunding Campaign is a Kickstarter campaign that took place from 23 March 2023, 22:00 EDT to 20 April 2023, 22:00 EDT. Oh, and in case you missed it, the Mercs Kickstarter even made mainstream news outlets like Polygon and Forbes. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. By the end of this year, more than four million high-quality, affordable, ready-to-play plastic Mech miniatures will have hit gaming tables in just four years. So you want the vehicles to be there, and you dont want them to be completely wimpy, but at the same time you want them to almost accentuate that the BattleMechs are the stars. Kickstarter You'll need an HTML5 capable browser to see this content. Please enter a valid email and try again. } Im lucky enough to have one of the regional parties at one of my local game stores, so I plan to spend some time there to celebrate and play games. If you come across a store that is no . As for quirks, the Osiris, Hatchetman, Storm Crow, Summoner, and Fafnir are all big winners in this patch. The single player campaign is the story mode of Battletech.It puts you in command of your own mercenary outfit, as you find yourself inexorably drawn into a bloody dynastic conflict set in the Periphery of the Inner Sphere, trying to restore High Lady Kamea Arano to her throne. Probably. The Battletech: Mercenaries Kickstarter lets fans. And to Nick Smith, president of BattleTech pod company Virtual World Entertainment, BattleTech is a place for everybody with a love for big stompy robots..